Canary Cargo
Science brain teasers require understanding of the physical or biological world and the laws that govern it.
A cargo plane loaded with canaries is set to take off but the co-pilot has calculated the weight of the plane and its contents is just a few pounds over its maximum allowable takeoff weight. "No problem," he tells the captain. "I'm going back to the cargo area. When you hear me yelling, go ahead and take off." What was he planning to do?
Answer
The co-pilot was planning to make a lot of noise yelling, scaring the canaries into flying which would lighten the load enough for the plane to take off. The fuel burned during takeoff would lighten the load enough for the birds to alight again after the plane was airborne. (The captain, however, knew this little trick wouldn't work and taxied back to the loading area to have some canaries removed. He knew that the canaries were heavier than the air they displaced from the closed interior of the aircraft and that their combined weight while flying would still be distributed to the airplane by air molecules)
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Comments
mrice
Oct 16, 2001
| If in fact the birds would remain in flight, then the co-pilots plan would work. This would be the same as training the birds to fly out of the plane, up into the air, then back into the plane while it flies by. |
randyeatmon
Oct 16, 2001
| Wrong, while the birds remain in the plane in flight the total weight of the plane remains the same if not more. For every reaction there is an equal, opposite reaction. R. Eatmon |
friesx100
Nov 21, 2001
| If the birds were flying, its like there is no birds there in the first place, so, witht he birds flying, its lighter. |
Captbob61
Mar 20, 2002
| Who ships canaries? |
Miguel_is_Feo
Apr 03, 2002
| I like parakeets more.-Feo |
Belgarath
Apr 10, 2002
| randyeatmon is correct the birds stay in the air by pushing down on the air with there wings
the idea is similar to replacing a large mass sitting on top of the plane with a strong breeze pushing down on the plane both of which would prevent the plane taking off. |
sk8babe
Jul 17, 2002
| Ok, that is such a complicaed answer!! Why not just "The co-pilot was planning to make a lot of noise yelling, scaring the canaries into flying which would lighten the load enough for the plane to take off."???
Neway it's a g1!
=¬) |
ALW007  
Jun 03, 2006
| I assumed they were going to taxi some more until they burned a few pounds of fuel... |
calmsavior
Jan 25, 2007
| actually, it is the EXACT SAME, just as randyeatmon had said. |
xdbtcp
Jun 23, 2010
| OK, this one scared me a bit, as I had a feeling I knew his plan!  |
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