Here is a picture of the vehicle.
Would this wind powered vehicle be possible?
I found it interesting. I was willing to believe it was possible until the people claiming they built it couldn't find the words to give an explanation in one post on the land yacht forum. Bit by bit some of their posts reveal a little bit of information.
Check here:
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Land-Yacht-Sailing/General/Downwind-Faster-than-the-Wind/?page=1
If you can go directly downwind faster than the wind, then however much faster than the wind you're going, you can do with no wind at all. In other words you're running on your own apparent wind, some how I don't think this is possible.
If something's going downwind, faster than the wind, the apparent wind is from in front, not behind, in that case the props are going to turn in the opposite direction, powering the vehicle backwards.
I still don't believe it.
I think that the whole wind thing gets a bit confusing, so here's an attempt to explain it in different terms:
Imagine you have a long straight road, and a 4 wheeled cart.
Push the cart down the road, and note that the wheels are doing the same speed as the road.
Now add a fifth wheel in the middle of the cart, set up so that it's not quite touching the ground, geared down so that it spins at half the speed of the main wheels.
Push the cart down the road at 10 km/h, and note that the bottom of the wheel is only doing 5 km/h in the same direction as the cart.
Now put a conveyor belt in the middle of the road, set up so that it does touch that fifth wheel, and set the speed of the conveyor belt at 5 km/h.
Note that your cart is still doing 10 km/h, without you pushing it, and is going faster than the device that is pushing it (the conveyor belt).
If you increase the speed of the conveyor to 10 km/h, then the cart will speed up to 20 km/h.
By replacing the conveyor belt with the wind, and the fifth wheel with a propellor, you can see how this device works.
cool!, its been explained to me like this... a formula board can beat a balloon downwind, this is using the same principles. Not perpetual motion, damn.
Bingles, this is a serious forum. Your cat reference is laughable. You want to see the wonders of physics in action?? Check out this hair. I'm sorry, but your argument is not valid.
Ye canna change the laws of fyzacs!!
Mmmm.. use your mind young sailor or the path to the Chuck side awaits
And just for Doggie
(reckon about 80% of Treckies would pop their phasers when the saw this - the other 20% go more for Kirk)
It seems Elroy decided to start a whole new thread because everyone that had questions on this thread
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Land-Yacht-Sailing/General/Downwind-Faster-than-the-Wind/?page=2
was getting perfectly reasonable answers while Elroy was being a dick.
Time to start a 3rd thread Elroy.