Weight Change for Man Flying East to West

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the weight change experienced by a man flying in a plane when changing direction from east to west. It explores the implications of centripetal acceleration and gravitational effects at different velocities and directions of travel, with a focus on theoretical calculations rather than practical applications.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested, Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant estimates that the man would weigh approximately 203 pounds when flying west.
  • Another participant calculates a weight of 201.6 pounds based on specific parameters including gravitational acceleration and altitude.
  • A third participant arrives at a weight increase of 1.595 pounds, using different values for Earth’s radius and flight height, and considers the effects of centripetal acceleration in both directions.
  • A later reply humorously reflects on the implications of weight changes for personal travel plans, indicating a lack of seriousness in the response.
  • One participant raises a related question about weight on Jupiter, suggesting curiosity about gravitational differences on other planets.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants present different calculations and estimates regarding the weight change, indicating that there is no consensus on the exact weight increase or the methods used to derive these values.

Contextual Notes

Participants use varying assumptions regarding gravitational constants, Earth’s radius, and flight altitude, which may affect their calculations. The discussion does not resolve these differences.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in physics, particularly those exploring concepts of weight, gravity, and centripetal forces in different contexts.

ceptimus
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A man in a plane flying due east above the equator at 600mph weighs 200 pounds. How much heavier will he weigh, if the plane turns around and flies due west?
 
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hmm
wild guess
::approx 203 pounds[/Color]::

-- AI
 
slightly different...

Considering g=9.81m/s² (sea level), H_plane=10km, and Earth_radius=6377km
::: 201.6 pounds :::
 
I get the same answer as Rogerio. The question asked how much heavier the man weighs, and the answer I got is
:: 1.595 pounds ::

I used Earth radius = 6378.137 km, plane height = 38,920.6 ft (this gives a flight radius of 6,390,000 metres)

I used a sidereal day of 86,164.1 seconds, and this results in a centripetal acceleration of 0.084356 m/s/s when flying east, and 0.006119 m/s/s when flying west.
 
:eek: I never considered I'd weigh more if I traveled west! There goes my plan of moving west continuously to synchronize my sleep schedule with normal daylight hours. I guess I'll just have to travel really far east :biggrin:

(No, this is not at all a serious response; I may be a biologist, but they did make me take some basic physics classes).
 
I've always wondered something. I know Jupiter is quite a bit bigger than earth, but has a much shorter day. How much would you weigh on Jupiter taking into account this?
 

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