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mile high thread
- Thread starter Fishy
- Start date
Calculate your potential energy, assuming the gravity to be 9.8m/s^2 and the mass being the entire plane and all held within. Along with this, calculate this using exact height above sea level, measured in kilometers.
okay gonna work this out while i'm still in the air, definitely correct me if i'm wrong
ok U = mgh and we've established gravity is normal to 9.8m/s²
i'm in a 737 boeing aircraft which google tells me is about 70,535 kg with full capacity, which this flight is
i assume most planes stay steady at 10,000ft since that's when the wifi works and my wifi is working, so converting to km... that makes it 3.048 km
let's plug and chug
U = 70,535 kg • 9.8m/s² • 3.048km
U ≈ wait wait wait. one more thing
U = 70,535kg • 0.0098km/s² • 3.048km
ahh yes, that's nice
U ≈ 2,107J
rounded to the nearest whole number
ok U = mgh and we've established gravity is normal to 9.8m/s²
i'm in a 737 boeing aircraft which google tells me is about 70,535 kg with full capacity, which this flight is
i assume most planes stay steady at 10,000ft since that's when the wifi works and my wifi is working, so converting to km... that makes it 3.048 km
let's plug and chug
U = 70,535 kg • 9.8m/s² • 3.048km
U ≈ wait wait wait. one more thing
U = 70,535kg • 0.0098km/s² • 3.048km
ahh yes, that's nice
U ≈ 2,107J
rounded to the nearest whole number
the normal formula for gravitational potential energy uses SI units: joules, kilograms, meters per second^2, meters
by plugging in km/s^2 your made your answer a factor of 3 too small, and by plugging in km you made it another factor of 3 too small
your final answer is off by a factor of 6 because of this.
the correct answer
Ep = 70535kg * 9.8m/s^2 * 3048m = 2,108,338,352J ≈ 2.107 * 10^9 joules
your equation is in a way valid, but if you analyze the units you'll notice that the equation actually gives you a result in MJ not J. if you changed J to MJ in your answer it would actually be correct. i'm gonna assume that you didn't intend to use a non standard formula though.
by plugging in km/s^2 your made your answer a factor of 3 too small, and by plugging in km you made it another factor of 3 too small
your final answer is off by a factor of 6 because of this.
the correct answer
Ep = 70535kg * 9.8m/s^2 * 3048m = 2,108,338,352J ≈ 2.107 * 10^9 joules
your equation is in a way valid, but if you analyze the units you'll notice that the equation actually gives you a result in MJ not J. if you changed J to MJ in your answer it would actually be correct. i'm gonna assume that you didn't intend to use a non standard formula though.
i'll give you 1 mark for using a formula that was kind of correct, 1 mark for good calculation, and 1 mark for an answer that was numerically correct but off by a large factor of 10. you also get 1 mark for doing it in the air, because a) that's epic and b) it's hard to do work when your neighbor is hogging your armrest
this puts you at 4/7 marks for the question. fortunately some smogoff class underachievers did bad and your scores gets curved up to a 6.3/7. congrats, you get an A-
mega joules!!!! uhh almost half off because i was only wrong by a factor of 10 is pretty bs, CLEARLY i showed some cognizance regarding proper units but my main error was just not putting the 10,000ft into meters because i was foolishly focused on the question asking for it in kms... which made me convert the gravity term unnecessarily... huffah
i'll accept your grade....
edit: i'm on the ground now but that was rly fun
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when I lie on my bed I am, strictly speaking, in a higher place than most people at the same place above sea level as me. the point of where I lie on the bed is some way off the ground from where I put my feet. so technically, I am situated in the mile-high club when I'm on my bed
im upstairs
I am currently 10 floors above ground, standing on my balcony. On my right I see the city. On my left I see my cat behind the door wondering what the heck I am doing on my balcony at this hour.
Hello upstairs, I'm ThatOneSpork!
Nice to meet you currently 10 floors above the ground, standing on my balcony. I'm ThatOneSpork, nice to meet you.
Fishy I came to not follow the rules and you cannot stop me.
Oh no, you discovered my true name D: I'm afraid you know too much.
i’m gonna be on a plane in 2.5 days!!!
sadly i cant afford the mile high club fees but i will be posting a picture for proof so someone will sponsor me(?)
sadly i cant afford the mile high club fees but i will be posting a picture for proof so someone will sponsor me(?)
that costs extra i already told you i’m strapped for cash
Did u read the fucking pamphlet in the back of the too-far-reclined seat in front of you? jesuzs…