Originally Posted by
SingaPaul
Come to think of it... There is a more elegant solution to the conveyor belt...
If they are able to position each set of wheels between two rotating drums that are free to rotate, they will have a pretty neat experiment that a plane can take off from a "stationary" position!!!
SingaPaul, you're not getting it. The airplane-on-treadmill is NOT the same as person-on-treadmill or car-on-treadmill.
IMOA gave a great example above - Put on Rollerblades and stand on moving treadmill. Assume no friction loss in the bearings. Do you move backwards? If your answer is "Yes," then you don't understand. The correct answer is "No." No matter how fast I turn up the treadmill, you should remain stationary.
And then, if I push you in the back, will you move forward? The correct answer is "Yes." If the treadmill is rolling at, say, 400 MPH, do I need to push you in the back with more than 400 MPH (equivalent) of force? The answer is "No."
Now, substitute "person wearing Rollerblades" with "airplane." Substitute the "push in the back" with "turn on the engines."
The high-speed treadmill does nothing except cause the wheels to spin faster.