Chapter 2, Problem 20TE

As Earth rotates about its axis, it takes 3 hours for the United States to pass beneath a point above Earth that is stationary relative to the sun. What is wrong with the following scheme? To travel from Washington D.C. to San Francisco and use very little, simply ascend in a helicopter high over Washington D.C. and wait 3 hours until San Francisco passes below.

To determine

The mistake in scheme that says, to travel from Washington D.C. to San Francisco and use very little, simply ascend in a helicopter high over Washington D.C. and wait 3 hours until San Francisco passes below.

Answer to Problem 20TE

The scheme to travel from Washington D.C to San Francisco will not work because helicopter will be moving with the speed of Earth’s rotation.

Explanation of Solution

The scheme of simply ascending the helicopter high over Washington D.C, and waiting for 3 hours until the San Francisco passes below will not work. The reason is that even the helicopter is airborne.

When it ascends high, it will also have horizontal speed due to the Earth’s rotation. So, after 3 hours, the helicopter will be over Washington D.C. The main reason for the horizontal speed is because of the inertia, the helicopter will be in motion relative to Earth, it will be moving with the speed of Earth’s rotation.

Conclusion:

Therefore, the scheme to travel from Washington D.C to San Francisco will not work because helicopter will be moving with the speed of Earth’s rotation.