A YouTuber posted an incredible video of himself renting a helicopter to tackle a physics exam question.
Derek Muller rented a chopper to research answers to a hypothetical scenario that appeared on a 2014 exam’s physics paper.
“The narrative of a controversial physics question in the qualifying exam for the 2014 US Physics Olympiad team,” Muller captioned the video on YouTube. “How does a helicopter’s uniform cable hang.”
“A helicopter is flying at a steady speed horizontally. Underneath the chopper, a completely flexible, uniform cable is suspended. The cable is subjected to significant air friction. Which of the following diagrams most accurately depicts the shape of the cable as the helicopter flies to the right?” At the start of the video, he reads out the question.
He then used a virtually weightless object to establish the correct answer. But he couldn’t come up with a satisfactory response, so he repeated the experiment, this time lowering a bagged parachute to see what would happen.
Instead of utilising traditional stationery such as books and pens, the YouTuber chartered a helicopter to put the scenario to the test and put a stop to the dispute for good. To see how it flies, he drops a cable from the helicopter along with a 20-pound kettle-bell. He chooses option D after the experiment.
