aReEeAyeDeeAyeBohok (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

downhill really? so it's losing energy right

johntyle716 (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

ya i cant believe you guys did not catch this the windmill thing would be turning propelling wind behind it from the natural force nut the only reason that white flag is moving backward is because the windmill is making it.

jamesdl00 (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

I agree with you completely, but you misinterpreted my somewhat sarcastic post. I was replying to gamesguru who incorrectly states that this is not possible and that from the inertial frame of reference of the cart, it is like sitting at rest in a still room. When the cart is moving at the speed of the wind, the apparent wind is 0, but gamesguru fails to consider that at the same time the apparent movement of the ground going by is certainly not 0.

molinarok (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

But how is sitting in your room the same as moving on the road with a wind? You forgot where the analogy begins.People, it's not the speed of wind vs speed of vehicle that matters. It's speed of wind vs speed of road. That's what matters.And in both cases the difference is there. If you insist on sitting still in a room with no wind, there is no source of energy and it's not the right situation to talk about.

subductionzone (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

I have to admit I was wrong on a previous comment. This is possible, check out the smaller scale models posted by spork33. It runs off the difference in speed between the wind and the ground. Do not think of the wind blowing directly on the cart and it might help. Since it works off of a difference in wind speed it would no work if there was no wind. There is no perpetual motion or over unity involved.

jamesdl00 (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

dynamic soaring - it's already been done by birds (the albatross), model aircraft, and full size aircraft!

jamesdl00 (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

I think "likely" and "unlikely" applies only to random events. Engineering either works or it doesn't. This is not the only type of contraption that can move downwind faster than the wind.

jamesdl00 (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

Yeah, every time I sit in a calm wind-free room, the floor rushes by underneath me too.

VideoJunkie666 (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

No. It would be identical to the contraption sitting on a moving treadmill in a calm, wind free room. See the video response above.

davidglover (December 31, 1969 at 4:59 pm)

I love how much controversy this brings, sounds like it is time for the MYTHBUSTERS to weigh in.