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Car in a windtunnel!

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dash8driver

Foamy Specialist
Joined
Mar 25, 2002
Posts
1,217
ok.. here it is. you got a car in a huge wind tunnel. the wind tunnel is designed to increase the wind speed at the same rate that the car is accelerating. will the car be able to move forward?

call mythbusters!! ;)
 
The car will be able to accelerate for a time, but ultimately the wind tunnel will triumph and stop the cars acceleration. Drag increases proportional to the square of the velocity.
 
Wait, is there a treadmill?

Are we using my crash pad car? If we are the answer is you have to get a jump from a ramper in the parking lot and use a hockey stick and a wire coat hanger to open the driver's side door...

What was the question?:confused:
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaszuzM36BY

Here we go

Piece of ******************** car
I got a piece of ******************** car
That ********************in pile of ********************
Never gets me very far

My cars a big piece of ********************
cause the shocks are ********************ing shot
And my seatbelts ********************ing broken
I got to tie it in a knot
(its a piece of ********************)

I cant see through the windshield
cause its got a big ********************ing crack
And the interior smells real bad
cause my friend puked in the back
(its a piece of ********************)

(piece of ******************** car)
Piece of ******************** car
(hes got a piece of ******************** car)
It sucks royal dick
(that ********************in pile of ********************)
100% crap
(never gets him very far)
Oh ******************** you car

Its got no cd player, it only got the 8-track
Whoever designed my car can lick my sweaty nut sack
(they can bite his ass too)
And I got no ********************in brakes
Im always way out of control
Eleven times a day I hear hey, watch it ***********************************
(you ********************in piece of ********************)

(piece of ******************** car)
I got piece of ******************** car
(he got a piece of ******************** car)
Diesel gas sucks my ass
(that ********************in pile of ********************)
That pile of metal ********************
(never gets him very far)

Oh what the ******************** did I do
What the ******************** did I do
What the ******************** did I do
To get stuck with you
Youre too wide for drive-thru
And you smell like the shoe
But Im too broke to buy something new
Oh ******************** me

Well the engine likes to flood
The car always ********************in stalls
And the seat cushions got a big rip
So a spring always pokes the balls
(ouch, ouch, ouch)
Plus the door locks are busted
I gotta use a ********************ing coat hanger
(what a pain in his ass)
And if a girlie sees my car
Theres no chance Ill ever bang her
(he never ever gets da *************************)
Hey shut up
(piece of ******************** car)
You piece of ******************** car

(you got a piece of ******************** car)
You piece of ******************** car
(piece of ******************** car)
Bald ********************in tires
(you got a piece of ******************** car)
No rearview ********************ing mirror
(piece of ******************** car)
Seven different colors
(you got a piece of ******************** car)
********************ing rag for a gas cap
(piece of ******************** car)
Tailpipe makes the sparks fly everywhere
(you got a piece of ******************** car)
(piece of ******************** car)
(you got a piece of ******************** car)
(piece of ******************** car)
Oh the whole town thinks Im a loser
(you got a piece of ******************** car)
Cabby give me a push
(piece of ******************** car...)
 
F = MA

Consider the net horizontal force acting on vehicle in the tunnel. In the first instance of time wheels apply a force F0 along the horizontal axis in an attempt to accelerate the vehicle.

But the tunnel, following its imperative, applies enough wind in the opposite direction to cause a drag force equal to the force being applied by the wheels. No matter how hard the vehicle tries to accelerate, the wind speed increases sufficently to equal the force provided by the vehicles drive train.

If the vehicle is an airplane it will lift off at the normal airspeed (groundspeed would be zero), but if its a car it will just stay there, just as if it were hard up again a brick wall.

If you don't understand
F = MA , then you don't understand cars or airplanes.
 
the windtunnel is designed to increase the wind speed at the same rate the car is accelerating. if the car will just stay there like you said, then its not accelerating.. if its not accelerating, there's no wind from the wind tunnel.
 
the windtunnel is designed to increase the wind speed at the same rate the car is accelerating. if the car will just stay there like you said, then its not accelerating.. if its not accelerating, there's no wind from the wind tunnel.

Actually, the wind speed instantly will increase to the point where the coefficient of drag x the wind speed equals the net effective horsepower of the vehicle engine in the direction of desired travel.
 

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