Say there's a fly in your car...

dropten

dropten

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May 12, 2011
Say your driving at 80mph and there's a fly in your car flying around. Shouldnt the fly hit your rear window since the fly isnt being carried by the cars momentum? Or the fly must travel at the same speed or faster to actually keep up with the speed of the car?

Theres been so many times ive had flies or some flying insect in my car and I dont understand how they're able to fly around without being affected by the cars momentum :smh:
 
same reason you are able to walk up and down the isle of an airplane flying at like 500miles and hour bro.....lol

CMON!
 
I think the atmosphere in the car is what makes the difference since they are light enough to fly.


On another note, I was driving on the highway with a wasp in my car. It didn't start flying around until i got on the highway and I was on the phone talking and it startled me.
I rolled down the window just enough to let the air hit it and fly out. I didn't wanna crak it all the way and let it fly into me. I was trying to make sure it got out the window and I didn't hit anybody while ending my phone call at the same time.....i survived bros. He flew close to my nose and I reclined a bit but he flew out the window eventually.
I for real thought I was about to get stung in the face and end up looking like Martin when he boxed ol' boy.
 
Dropten said:
Say your driving at 80mph and there's a fly in your car flying around. Shouldnt the fly hit your rear window since the fly isnt being carried by the cars momentum? Or the fly must travel at the same speed or faster to actually keep up with the speed of the car?

Theres been so many times ive had flies or some flying insect in my car and I dont understand how they're able to fly around without being affected by the cars momentum
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i might be halfway wrong, but here goes:

the car is moving, and thus the space and things inside the car are moving with respect to the car, making everything stationary a net zero speed so long as the car travels at a constant velocity.

the fly, is therefore flying at its own rate relative to the space inside the car, not the car itself. 

so when you brake or accelerate you are changing the velocity, and you can see and feel the things shifting around in your car when that happens. 

i'm sure a lot more physics is involved but i'm not well versed in that arena.
 
offbad said:
Dropten said:
Say your driving at 80mph and there's a fly in your car flying around. Shouldnt the fly hit your rear window since the fly isnt being carried by the cars momentum? Or the fly must travel at the same speed or faster to actually keep up with the speed of the car?


Theres been so many times ive had flies or some flying insect in my car and I dont understand how they're able to fly around without being affected by the cars momentum :smh:
Click to expand...
i might be halfway wrong, but here goes:

the car is moving, and thus the space and things inside the car are moving with respect to the car, making everything stationary a net zero speed so long as the car travels at a constant velocity.

the fly, is therefore flying at its own rate relative to the space inside the car, not the car itself. 

so when you brake or accelerate you are changing the velocity, and you can see and feel the things shifting around in your car when that happens. 

i'm sure a lot more physics is involved but i'm not well versed in that arena.
Click to expand...

Yep, theory of relativity.

The idea is that velocity only makes sense in terms of being relative to something else. Acceleration (changes in velocity) are detectable, but velocity itself isn't. If you step on the gas, the fly will appear to move backwards but nothing will happen if you keep your velocity constant.
 
Dropten said:
Say your driving at 80mph and there's a fly in your car flying around. Shouldnt the fly hit your rear window since the fly isnt being carried by the cars momentum? Or the fly must travel at the same speed or faster to actually keep up with the speed of the car?

Theres been so many times ive had flies or some flying insect in my car and I dont understand how they're able to fly around without being affected by the cars momentum :smh:
Click to expand...
The flies are affected by the momentum changes, they just automatically correct for it in their flight.

Flight is a balancing act between forces. All the fly has to do is balance the relative forces acting on it and it can fly just the same as it would in a stationary car.
 
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The air in the car is moving with the car, therefore pushing the fly, and making it stay in the same place. 

So almost like the car itself it pushing the air inside, which in turn, the air pushes the fly. 
 
:lol: I was thinking about the same thing today when I was going down in an elevator and there was a fly buzzing around at my eye level the entire time the elevator was descending. Maybe it has to do with the medium(air in this case) in the elevator moving at the same rate as the elevator as it goes down?
 
offbad said:
i might be halfway wrong, but here goes:

the car is moving, and thus the space and things inside the car are moving with respect to the car, making everything stationary a net zero speed so long as the car travels at a constant velocity.

the fly, is therefore flying at its own rate relative to the space inside the car, not the car itself. 

so when you brake or accelerate you are changing the velocity, and you can see and feel the things shifting around in your car when that happens. 

i'm sure a lot more physics is involved but i'm not well versed in that arena.
Click to expand...
Fascinating. But something still doesnt add up. I understand if the fly is chillin on the seat, you drive off then the fly starts to fly. Cause then the momentum of the fly and the car is the same. But after the fly has been flying in air for a period of time, the fly is no longer affected by the cars momentum. So the fly must be traveling at the same rate of the car to be able to keep up.

Hypothetically speaking, lets say im on a plane. I jump and stay in air for a short period of time 2 seconds maybe. I shouldnt be able to land in the same spot as where I jumped. I should be a little further back?
 
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Dropten said:
Say your driving at 80mph and there's a fly in your car flying around. Shouldnt the fly hit your rear window since the fly isnt being carried by the cars momentum? Or the fly must travel at the same speed or faster to actually keep up with the speed of the car?

Theres been so many times ive had flies or some flying insect in my car and I dont understand how they're able to fly around without being affected by the cars momentum
mean.gif
Click to expand...
Do you hit your rear window when you're in a moving vehicle? 
 
Dropten said:
offbad said:
i might be halfway wrong, but here goes:

the car is moving, and thus the space and things inside the car are moving with respect to the car, making everything stationary a net zero speed so long as the car travels at a constant velocity.

the fly, is therefore flying at its own rate relative to the space inside the car, not the car itself. 

so when you brake or accelerate you are changing the velocity, and you can see and feel the things shifting around in your car when that happens. 

i'm sure a lot more physics is involved but i'm not well versed in that arena.
Click to expand...
Fascinating. But something still doesnt add up. I understand if the fly is chillin on the seat, you drive off then the fly starts to fly. Cause then the momentum of the fly and the car is the same. But after the fly has been flying in air for a period of time, the fly is no longer affected by the cars momentum. So the fly must be traveling at the same rate of the car to be able to keep up.

Hypothetically speaking, lets say im on a plane. I jump and stay in air for a short period of time 2 seconds maybe. I shouldnt be able to land in the same spot as where I jumped. I should be a little further back?
Click to expand...
Your hypothetical example doesn't apply because the flies aren't jumping. They have apparatus which allows them to create lift to stay in the air.

All they have to do is balance the force of the air (due to the added momentum from movement of the car) against their wings just right, and they can stay elevated in the same place.
 
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