How fast does a fly have to fly into a speeding locomotive to stop it?

[BrothaBill]

Yes, but vector math is unnecessary if the forces are in directly opposing or incident directions.

so, like a bird cant bring down a 747 with you assertions, tsk, tsk, every locomotive has an achilles heel, just gotta think outside the box

 

[PICK3]

Yes, but vector math is unnecessary if the forces are in directly opposing or incident directions.

Agreed! You're the one who brought up vectors.

Keep in mind this was freshman "General Physics" at a state college.

 

[redguru]

so, like a bird cant bring down a 747 with you assertions, tsk, tsk, every locomotive has an achilles heel, just gotta think outside the box

The box was defined as an inelastic collision, not taking out an airplane turbine with feathers and beaks which happens all the time.

 

[GoldenDelicious]

Mass of a housefly is approximately .000012 kg, Mass of a locomotive engin is roughly 100 Metric tons or 100,000 kg

Assume a slow velocity of the train lets say 1 m/sec

v1= (100,000 kg-m/sec)/.000012 kg
v1 is faster than the speed of light, so the housefly can't stop a train.

ok then smartie, what if the fly flew into the stop button? hm? hmmmm?

i. thought. so.

 

[redguru]

ok then smartie, what if the fly flew into the stop button? hm? hmmmm?

i. thought. so.

Even then the collision wouldn't be inelastic which is what the original question postulated as a result.

 

[chesty]

Let's put it this way...That fucking fly could be traveling at the speed of light and it will not stop the train. The fly would vaporize on impact, or assuming it was as dense and hard as a bb, it would still vaporize or just pass right through the train. Now, if it was comprised of anti matter, it might release enough energy on impact to cause the destruction of the train and a large area around the train.

 

[PICK3]

Mass of a housefly is approximately .000012 kg, Mass of a locomotive engin is roughly 100 Metric tons or 100,000 kg

Assume a slow velocity of the train lets say 1 m/sec

v1= (100,000 kg-m/sec)/.000012 kg
v1 is faster than the speed of light, so the housefly can't stop a train.

Theoretically the fly could stop the train (in an frictionless environment), otherwise the fly would disintegrate.

I don't remember the velocity of the train, everything was in scientific notation.

It's be a loooooooooooong time for me since I was a freshman in college.

 

[BrothaBill]

The box was defined as an inelastic collision, not taking out an airplane turbine with feathers and beaks which happens all the time.

I was talking about a terrorist wearing a bigbird outfit taking over the cockpit. The fly and the locomotive were placed in the same telepod by accident by young brash scientist Seth Brundle. Fusing them, the locomotive is brought to its knees from with in, turning into half locomotive, half fly

 

[redguru]

I was talking about a terrorist wearing a bigbird outfit taking over the cockpit. The fly and the locomotive were placed in the same telepod by accident by young brash scientist Seth Brundle. Fusing them, the locomotive is brought to its knees from with in, turning into half locomotive, half fly

Does Seth look like Jeff Goldblum in this hypothetical?

 

[PICK3]

Even then the collision wouldn't be inelastic which is what the original question postulated as a result.

In the case of the fly and the train it would have to be inelastic or the train could never by brought to a velocity of 0.