Regarding question 2, Mythbusters did it. Probably doesn't match the "in a hurry" criterion, but it moved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKXMTzMQWjo On Fri, Oct 28, 2016 at 11:52 AM, Dan Asimov <asimov@msri.org> wrote:
Some physics questions I don't know the answer to:
1) An old Car Talk puzzle of the week is about a truck carrying a load of chickens.
As it approaches a mandatory truck scale, the driver realizes that its weight is just over the legal limit. To lighten the truck, he or she makes a loud noise, frightening the chickens so that they fly into the air just in time for the truck to be weighed.
Question: Does this succeed in lightening the load?
1a) Also, does it matter whether the truck is airtight or open? -----
2) In a related question, people on a sailboat realize that it needs to get back to shore in a hurry, so they attach a powerful fan to a powerful battery and aim it at the sail. Can this help propel the boat?
2a) Likewise, suppose this picture is scaled down to become a small toy boat. Does it matter if all takes place in an airtight enclosed case? -----
—Dan
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