If one plane fly's 55,000ft and another at 30,000ft at same speed which one will fly the most land distance?

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carlosc1dbz

Its like running on the inside lane on the track and someone running the outside lane. If you start from the same place and run at the same speed, the person on the inside lane would get furthur ahead. I dont know how to do the problem though. Maybe some math with arc length, but its super tricky.

So since the 30,000 ft plane is closer to the planet, it could be said its on the inside lane. ASo that one would travel furthur.

c.a.d

think of the problem as a mobile with one wire longer than the other. if two planes are flying the same speed for the same amount of time, due to the curvature of the earth, the lower plane will cover more land miles, but the same amount of nautical miles. as the shorter wire will make more revolutions than the longer wire due to distance traveled because of the smaller circumference of the orbit.

Lance R

The one closer to the ground - 30 000 ft

Dead2TheWind

30,000 feet. C=2(Pi)r

iloveF1

i dont know the answer to the question but im glad you asked it, because i never thought of that before and now iv learnt something.

jaffacakes are amazing

2 answers possibly,

1: the one travelling at 30,000 feet because it has less circumference, or

2: they will both cover the same distance because plane speed is measured in nautical miles per hour, and therefore, because they are both flying at the same speed, the same distance would be covered.

Id go with answer TWO!

(i think)

the one with the most fuel

banditblue1200

The plane at 30,000 feet

chrisdonwarren

A plane will not be able to fly at 55,000 feet - there is hardly any air for which it to fly on. The only thing that can fly at that altitude are missles or other types of rocket propelled vehicles.

After about 8-9 miles you are no longer in the Troposphere (where we fly, clouds, air, etc) and are into the Stratosphere.

However - if you aer BELOW the Stratosphere - say 40,000 Feet. The plane at the higher altitude will cover more ground simply because of less air resistance. The higher you go, the colder temperatures will get (at 40,000 feet yoiu are likely at to be at close to 0 degree celsius)

With the same plane, using the same amount of energy - the plane that is higher above the denser air, will travel the greatest distance.

Phil H

The one nearest to the earth.

Gordon R

Commercial flights do NOT fly at 55,000 feet so the question is irrevalent

BUT if it were done the one at 55,000 feet would fly the greater distance

Jimmy H

the one that travels furthest - probably

god knows and sees else Yahoo

55000

If you stand on your roof, the horizon is 8 miles one way
If you stand on top of a tall building, the horizon is farther away

psychoticgenius

This is basic physics.

Land size does not increase.

So they will fly the same.

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