Testing What Happens If You Jump On A Moving Train

air resistance

Jumping on a moving train is dangerous because you'll land in a different spot than if you jumped inside. This is because the air outside the train pushes against you, while the air inside moves with you.

• 💨 Air is a fluid, just like water. The air outside the train pushes against you, slowing you down relative to the train.
• 🎈 Balloons inside the train stay upright because the air inside moves with the train. Balloons on top are pushed back.
• ✈️ Planes need air moving over their wings to fly. A treadmill runway won't work because the plane isn't moving relative to the air.
• 🎈 Hot air balloons can't steer directly. They control altitude by heating or cooling air, then use wind currents at different altitudes to move horizontally.
• ☁️ Wind direction and speed change significantly at different altitudes, which hot air balloon pilots use to navigate.

A man is mid-air, jumping from the top of a moving train, with a red arrow pointing at him.