If an insect is inside of a container, but flying, is it adding weight to the container?

Question

If an insect is inside of a container, but flying, is it adding weight to the container?

In: 133

Answer 1

– Imagine a man standing on a large platform scale weighing himself.
– Now imagine he’s wearing a jet pack while weighing himself.
– Now imagine he turns on that jet pack and flies straight up about 3 feet (or 1 meter) above the platform and hovers there.

Can you see how the downward thrust from the jet pack presses against the scale? That thrust of air has to be just enough to lift the man’s weight off the ground, and the scale will measure that air pressing against itself as the same weight pressing down.

This is just like a fly in a jar using its wings to propel itself upward by forcing air downward toward the bottom of the jar.