When hovering for a period of time in a helicopter, why does the Earth not begin to spin away from the helicopter? When a helicopter hovers, it maintains a fixed position relative to the Earth's surface. This is achieved by adjusting the thrust generated by its rotor blades to counteract the force of gravity and any external forces like wind. The Earth does not begin to spin away from the helicopter because the helicopter is not exerting any significant force on the Earth to cause it to move.
The force exerted by the helicopter's rotor blades creates an equal and opposite reaction, as described by Newton's third law of motion. This reaction force acts on the helicopter itself, keeping it stationary relative to the Earth's surface. The Earth's mass is much greater than that of the helicopter, so any forces exerted by the helicopter are negligible compared to the Earth's overall inertia.
In essence, when a helicopter hovers, it maintains its position by exerting forces on the air around it, rather than directly affecting the Earth's rotation or movement. As long as the helicopter's thrust is balanced with the force of gravity and any external forces, it can hover in place without causing the Earth to spin away.
Source: Some or all of the content was generated using an AI language model
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