How fast are you walking if you're walking up the aisle of a plane (toward the pilot; when the plane is up in the air)

Interesting question but I don’t know the answer.

This reminds me of the question that asks if you are in an elevator that has broken loose and is falling to the ground at a disastrous rate of speed and you will surely be injured,what would happen if you, at a nanosecond before the moment of impact, jumped up from the floor of the elevtor. Would you still be toast?

By the way, I don’t know the answer to either, but it is food for thought when I can’t sleep at night. gq

Good question. It obviously depends on how high you are. I really don’t know if I’m doing the math right or not, but let’s say you are 30,000 feet off the ground and walking at 4 mph. That would mean you are actually traveling at 633,600,000 feet per hour. I think. Tell me if I’m wrong.

P.S. I googled it and figured out how fast people walk and how high planes fly. So if I did the math right, then that would be correct.

Just because the plane is moving does not mean you are walking any faster.

You have to ask Albert Einstein this question, and Mistah Einstein, he daid.

Ever walked down the aisle of a train and watched a fly flying? How come he doesn’t crash into the back end of the car. How come you don’t?

@Joe I think they mean “How fast are you actually moving?” Not “How fast are you walking?”

the plane is moving at an airspeed at 30000 ft of 500 mph. you are walking the same speed as you would anywhere. You are on the plane. so you are walking 1 mph on a conveyance that is going 500 mph.

@rooeytoo Youll die, no matter what you do. MythBusters even tested it.

Just think how fast you are moonwalking when you return to your seat.

@rooeytoo so I’m not the only one who has ever asked that question. The tricky bit would be jumping at just the right split-second , oh and surviving the obliterated elevator might have something to do with the chance of survival I reckon

The average airplane’s cruising speed is about 550 MPH. Supposing you were walking at 1 MPH, you would presumably be progressing at a speed of 550 and a fraction of 1 MPH at the time that you’re walking. This depends on how far and how fast, of course, but if you’re walking for one minute at 1 MPH then you’re moving at the rate of 550 1/60 MPH… I think.

Motion is relative. Speed is how quickly two objects travel relative to each other. You have to specify what those two objects are before anything can make sense. You might be only moving a mile per hour or two relative to the plane, but you are traveling several hundred miles per hour relative to the earth. Similarly, you are traveling at tremendous speeds relative to the sun or the center of the galaxy or Alpha Centauri. It all depends on what your reference point is.

Well, think of it this way….have you @avvooooo HUSH! I see you!! You’re trying to interrupt me! Have you ever jumped in an elevator when it begins to slow down at the top of it’s assent? (Moy fun, especially the higher and faster it goes!) You are moving through space at the same rate the plane is, but you can’t tell it relative to the plane. So, you’re moving through space at 300 mph (just like you’re standing on the earth, which is rotating really fast AND orbiting around the sun really fast) BUT relative to your surroundings, you’re only moving at….. .05 mph along the aisle. (Good Q, BTW! Very thoughtful!)
It’s the same thing with a car wreck. You’re going 60 mph through “space,” hit a tree, and the car stops and you don’t….and you hit the windshield at 60 mph…..SO the answer to your question is, “Don’t drink and drive!” I think. Or I got lost….

You’ll also have to factor in how quickly the earth is rotating, if you want to really have precise measurements. It’s not like the plane moves across a stationary planet.

And then there is the motion of the sun and its planets in the local part of the galactic arm, (never mind the movement of the galactic arm).

Well, yes, and not us forget the effect moon’s gravity has on the rotation of the earth. And the effect that the solar system has on the rotation of the earth AND the moon, (slingshot effect…or hold back effect, depending.) or the impact that the rest of the universe, other galaxies and dark matter has on our solar system/galaxy…..what did you say you wanted to major in @toomuchcoffee911? (It really was a great question…. :)

See? I tole you to ask ole Albert!

It depends on your frame of reference. Without defining your frame of reference, you cannot define your speed.

@FireMadeFlesh Her frame of reference was in an airplane going XXX miles per hour.

@rooeytoo your answer will give me nightmares, thank you very much.

@rooeytoo Pretty sure you would still be toast. I’ve thought about it myself, but I’m pretty sure that if you were in an elevator in free fall, at, say 60 MPH, and you jumped just before it hit, the jump might slow you down, to say, 59.5 mph…and you’d hit the ground at that speed. Only slightly slower than the elevator had been going…..bleh. I hate it when my mind turns in those directions!

I am amazed so many others have pondered my question as well.

I do think you would be toast no matter how accurate your timing, but since I am not fond of elevators, it has always offered a modicum of hope.

I remember living in NYC when the Twin Towers were being built. The Liquor Control Board (or whatever the NY equivalent may be called) was located quite high up in the one. I was working for a wine importer and made frequent trips there. It seems as if the elevators did not fit properly into the shaft, or at least that is what my imagination told me, it seemed as if the cars wiggled around as you sped up and even moreso on the way down. I would console myself with the thought of jumping at just the right moment if it cut loose and started free falling! I just don’t have good karma with elevators, they always go wacky when I enter.

@Val123 Then she was moving at walking speed, because the plane is stationary and the person and the Earth are both moving relative to the plane, but at different rates.

Ever been in an aluminum canoe in a thunder and lightning storm? If you jump up just before the lightning strikes your canoe, can you avoid getting electrocuted? {is this similar to the moving question?]

The water will probably have a lethal current too. (the energy has to to somewhere)

@FireMadeFlesh This is true. But I think what prompted the question was that she realized that she was hurtling through the air at 300 mph, but it didn’t feel like it! The earth is rotating at 1000 mph, and we’re on it. It’s also orbiting the sun at 67,000 mph! So we’re all actually moving at those speeds as well. Its just a trip to think about.

@skfinkel I have a feeling the in that close of a proximity, and with that much metal, the lightening would reach up and snatch you back down.

Everything is relative. The moving plane isn’t the only factor. There’s also Earth’s rotation and its travel around the sun. The solar system itself orbits the center of our galaxy with an impressive speed. So when you’re walking up the aisle of a plane you could be doing up to about 495,000 mph.

Thanks for all the great answers everybody!

And how fast would I go if i was walking BACKWARDS? O.o

@mattbrowne I already said all that!!! Except not the 495,000 number!

If you were walking backward, you would actually be going back in time!

@Val123 – I’m very sorry. Sometimes I just jump to the end of a question without reading all the previous answers. It would have been a good idea in this case. In addition to the galactic orbiting there’s also our flying toward the Andromeda galaxy. Plus dark energy driving spacetime itself apart. Isn’t this amazing to be part of this hot intergalactic roller coaster ride! For free.

@mattbrowne Yes, it is, amazing! BTW, here is what I said, and I have you and Benny and cris and cirbryan to thank for it!

Well, yes, and not us forget the effect the moon’s gravity has on the rotation of the earth. And the effect that the solar system has on the rotation of the earth AND the moon, (slingshot effect…or hold back effect, depending.) or the impact that the rest of the universe, other galaxies and dark matter has on our solar system/galaxy…..what did you say you wanted to major in @toomuchcoffee911? (It really was a great question…. :)

@Val123 – I’ve had this problem before not being able to log onto newwisdm.ning.com – I think Benny is still active there, not so sure about Cirbryan. He’s a very smart guy too.

@mattbrowne I’ve never had a problem logging on. Yes, Benny’s there, and Cirbryan is actually quite active. Has been since we booted whats-his-face off the island.

@Val123 (I assume we’re talking about college) I have no idea what I want to major in yet.

How about quantum mechanics!

@Val123 You’ve hit on a winner with your last post. Relative speeds ceased to amaze me when I started to learn about relativistic effects and quantum mechanics.

@FireMadeFlesh I like it, but boy, it gives me a headache! But if you keep at it, there comes an occasional moment like, “Eureka!!” I love that!

@Val123 Yeah, its the best feeling. I just wish I could do the maths behind it!

@FireMadeFlesh Check this out! fun! I got it from….H…somebody….Hsmartperson

@Val123: It was from our budding astrophysicist; @hannahsugs.

@gailcalled Yes! That’s who it was! I wanted to give her credit,but I couldn’t remember the nuances of her name. Thank you.

I run and yell “Allllahhhh!”

@XOIIO O s%&*T!!

You’re walking as fast as you usually walk. Slower if the aisles are narrow and arm rests are in your way.

You are however, most definitely moving faster than you would on the ground.

@Val123 That’s a great animation, thanks! I’m going to keep it on hand for my students if I get back into tutoring next year.

@FireMadeFlesh I sure book marked it! It also gives one an unbelievable appreciation of how stable our universe is.

@asmonet Didn’t you list Astronomy as an interest on your profile? Might check out this interactive link on Binary Stars. It’s very cool!

@Val123: Well, I know what I’m doing for the rest of the night. ps, youre awesome. :D

@asmonet LOL! thank you! Have you, uh, destroyed the world 30 times over like I did??