curvature of the earth
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- Anees0
Don't you have an elbow?
- wrong0
better question: if you put an airplane on a treadmill, and accelerate the treadmill backwards against the plane at the same rate that the propeller is moving it forward, will it take off?
- Oh don't you fucking dare - this place inverted itself when we had that as a thread.detritus
- no it would not take off. you're actually stationary, so air is not flowing above/below the wing. no air, no lift.bulletfactory
- jfletcher0
put a wheel on the end for balance.
- hektor9110
WTF.... get to work man....
- ian000
for simplicity, let's assume no elevation change.
- designbot0
wouldn't that be more of a sword?
just saying
- gung_hoek0
with the right alloy and leverage, victim fastened and cooperative, there´s no reason why it wouldn´t work.
- dasohr0
how are you going to see what you are going to stab 140 miles away?
i don't think you thought out your plan to well...
- pencilpants0
i think it would be too heavy, not to mention all of the wind that high, to even hold it
- utopian0
you can achieve the same result with a reach around!
- Horp0
Working with hypothetical physics simplicity to avoid nit-picking about weight, torsion droop etc, the theoretical answer to this question is that the earth's curvature would not affect your chances as the blade would also follow the curve due to constant gravitational pulldown at every point along the blade. It would echo the curve.
In reality it would bend and suffer from accumulative weight fatigue as soon as the length of blade meant its hanging weight passed the point of torsional rigidity.
- i guess so... i mean it's a good point but i don't like to think of my knives as being able to bend.ian00
- hahagung_hoek
- But there would be no tangible bend, it would at all times be parallel to the ground.Horp
- it would be bending from space... what about the aliens? can't have them thinking i've got shoddy equipmentian00
- Aliens can't even see it if you liberally coat it in cold river mud.Horp
- Nightshade0
"Harley to showed that the earth curves approximately 8 inches per mile"
8" x 2.54cm x 140mi / 100 = 28.45 meters
Average height for a man = 1.79m
Assuming the victim was standing on the ground, you could stab him if you were > 26.66m about ground level.
- Amicus0
just for the argument... what if it is the best japanese folded steel?
The curvature of a katana blade might work in his favour, and they are sharp enough to cut just about anything so any trees, buildings or bunnies in the way wouldn't be too much of a problem provided his arms are bigger than arnie's.
OK, I'm guessing you aren't bigger than Arnie so, sorry Ian, the answer is no.
- thompson0
all this because I said you were a soulless basterd and I would stab you.
- benfal990
the curvature of the earth make that impossible.
Its as logic as a lolcat.