OSCILLATIONS AND WAVES CYU 8

Q8: Clocks on Aircrafts

Physics Problem: Clocks on Aircrafts

Question 8

Two aircrafts installed with identical pendulum clocks, take off simultaneously from an airport in a city X at the equator. Both the aircrafts fly in opposite directions over the equator and land at an airport in another city Y exactly in 12 hours later according to local time of the city X. Find ratio of difference, if any, in the times shown by both the clocks to the time taken. Radius of the earth is $R$, its angular velocity is $\omega$ and acceleration of free fall at the equator is $g$. Assume the aircrafts fly at constant speeds relative to the earth surface.

City X City Y (Back) V_earth = ωR v (East) v (West) Flight Duration = 12 hrs (Half Rotation)

Solution

Step 1: Determine Aircraft Speed ($v$)

The aircrafts land exactly 12 hours later at the diametrically opposite point. The Earth completes one full rotation ($2\pi R$) in 24 hours. Therefore, in 12 hours, the Earth rotates by distance $\pi R$.
Since the planes also cover the distance $\pi R$ (half circumference) in 12 hours, their speed relative to the Earth’s surface is: $$ v = \omega R $$

Step 2: Effective Gravity ($g_{eff}$)

A pendulum clock’s time measurement depends on the effective gravity in its frame of reference: $T \propto 1/\sqrt{g_{eff}}$.
The standard “acceleration of free fall” $g$ at the equator already accounts for Earth’s rotation: $$ g = g_{true} – \frac{(\omega R)^2}{R} = g_{true} – \omega^2 R $$ Therefore, $g_{true} = g + \omega^2 R$.

For a plane moving with speed $v$ relative to Earth, the absolute speed $V_{abs}$ in the inertial frame determines the centrifugal force. $$ g_{eff} = g_{true} – \frac{V_{abs}^2}{R} $$

Step 3: Analyze the Two Planes

Plane 1 (Eastbound): Moves in the direction of rotation. $$ V_1 = \omega R + v $$ $$ g_1 = g_{true} – \frac{(\omega R + v)^2}{R} $$ Substitute $g_{true} = g + \omega^2 R$: $$ g_1 = (g + \omega^2 R) – (\omega^2 R + v^2/R + 2\omega v) = g – \frac{v^2}{R} – 2\omega v $$
Plane 2 (Westbound): Moves against rotation. $$ V_2 = |\omega R – v| $$ $$ g_2 = g_{true} – \frac{(\omega R – v)^2}{R} $$ $$ g_2 = (g + \omega^2 R) – (\omega^2 R + v^2/R – 2\omega v) = g – \frac{v^2}{R} + 2\omega v $$

Step 4: Calculate Time Difference

The time measured $\tau$ is related to the flight time $t$ by $\tau = t \sqrt{\frac{g_{eff}}{g}}$ (assuming clocks are calibrated to $g$).
Using binomial expansion $\sqrt{1 \pm x} \approx 1 \pm x/2$:

For Plane 1: $$ \tau_1 = t \sqrt{1 – \frac{2\omega v + v^2/R}{g}} \approx t \left( 1 – \frac{\omega v}{g} – \frac{v^2}{2gR} \right) $$ For Plane 2: $$ \tau_2 = t \sqrt{1 + \frac{2\omega v – v^2/R}{g}} \approx t \left( 1 + \frac{\omega v}{g} – \frac{v^2}{2gR} \right) $$
Difference ($\Delta \tau = \tau_2 – \tau_1$): $$ \Delta \tau \approx t \left[ \left( 1 + \frac{\omega v}{g} – \frac{v^2}{2gR} \right) – \left( 1 – \frac{\omega v}{g} – \frac{v^2}{2gR} \right) \right] $$ The $v^2$ terms cancel out: $$ \Delta \tau = t \left( \frac{2\omega v}{g} \right) $$

Step 5: Final Ratio

Substitute $v = \omega R$: $$ \Delta \tau = t \frac{2\omega (\omega R)}{g} = t \frac{2\omega^2 R}{g} $$ The ratio of the difference to the time taken ($t$) is: $$ \frac{\Delta \tau}{t} = \frac{2\omega^2 R}{g} $$

$$ \text{Ratio} \approx \frac{2\omega^2 R}{g} $$