Question

You are a passenger on a jetliner that is flying at a constant velocity. You get up from your seat and walk toward the front of the plane. Because of this action, your forward momentum increases. Does the forward momentum of the plane itself decrease, remain the same, or increase?

Answer 1

Decreases

Step-by-step explanation:

Assuming the plane and the passenger are in the same system, the total momentum of the system will remain constant. (i.e. net momentum)

This means that to cancel out the effect of the increase in forward momentum of the passenger, the plane will increase its backward momentum (i.e. reduce its forward momentum).