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General Science / Re: Which way faster, east or west ?
« on: 16/11/2003 13:20:18 »
If you take the wind relative to the earth's surface as being zero, then the relative velocity of the plane in ANY direction is the same, as it starts off travelling at the same speed as the Earth's surface. This is because at the start of the journey, when the plane is stationary, it is travelling at the same speed as the Earth's surface, therefore allowing you to negate the effect of the rotation of the Earth (Vel Plane = Vel Earth => vel plane rel earth = 0). Therefore, you can now take the Earth as not rotating as the realtive velocity is equal to zero at the beginning.
However, in real life, the wind relative to the earth's surface is not zero as the atmosphere generally rotates at a slower speed than the earth's surface and so, therefore, it will have to travel against the atmosphere in one direction and with the atmosphere in the other direction, and obviously it goes slower when travelling against the atmosphere.
"I have great faith in fools; self-confidence my friends call it."
-Edgar Allan Poe
However, in real life, the wind relative to the earth's surface is not zero as the atmosphere generally rotates at a slower speed than the earth's surface and so, therefore, it will have to travel against the atmosphere in one direction and with the atmosphere in the other direction, and obviously it goes slower when travelling against the atmosphere.
"I have great faith in fools; self-confidence my friends call it."
-Edgar Allan Poe