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Physics Debate Settled: Faster Than the Wind is Possible

Posted June 08, 2010 7:39 AM

From Geeks are Sexy Technology News:

A wind-powered car has reached a top speed of 38.61 miles per hour (62 kilometers per hour). By itself that might not sound impressive, but it appears to answer a long-running physics question: can a wind powered vehicle travel downwind at a speed faster than said wind.

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ffej
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#1

Re: Physics Debate Settled: Faster Than the Wind is Possible

06/09/2010 1:51 AM

If this answers any long standing physics questions, they must have been pretty stupid questions.

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#4
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Re: Physics Debate Settled: Faster Than the Wind is Possible

06/12/2010 2:29 PM

Please explain. Do you think that a wind powered device can go faster than wind speed on a level road?

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#5
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Re: Physics Debate Settled: Faster Than the Wind is Possible

06/12/2010 3:10 PM

Yes.
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Anonymous Poster
#2

Re: Physics Debate Settled: Faster Than the Wind is Possible

06/09/2010 8:31 AM

If you could move faster than the propelling wing, you'd be moving against the wind.

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Re: Physics Debate Settled: Faster Than the Wind is Possible

06/11/2010 4:39 PM

Running on a treadmill versus a static road invalidates the experiment. On a treadmill the prop is turning against a static airflow. On a static road the apparent wind would be dead on (assuming a straight road headed directly into the wind) resulting in a totally different airflow past the propeller, effectively neutralizing the thrust generated by the propeller.

BS. Same as the claim that an airplane can't take off from a treadmill.

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