YouTuber hired a helicopter to answer an exam question

In 2014, on the qualifying exam related to U.S. Physics Team in the United States, a question arose that went viral because of its difficulty and the considerable variety of responses. The correct one is, of course, only one and has been known for a long time, but to prove it in practice, YouTuber hired a helicopter, and the recordings and conclusions from the tests were published on his Veritasium channel.

How will the rope attached to the helicopter behave in flight? YouTuber hired a helicopter to check it out

The confusion comes down to the following question. The helicopter flies horizontally at a constant speed. A perfect flexible cable is suspended under the helicopter. Air friction on the cable is not insignificant. Which of the following diagrams best shows the shape of the wire when the helicopter is flying to the right? These patterns are as follows, and before continuing, try to answer the question posed.

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According to the survey conducted on the channel before the actual test, most indicated the answer C. Nobody considered E to be correct, but the knowledge of physics or ordinary intuition made the second largest group of respondents rightly chose the answer B. Lina in this type of scenario keeps an ideal curve because it is affected by air resistance and the force of gravity, which must balance each other with such an ideal tension of the rope.

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Other situations can be observed when either a parachute or a 9 kg load is attached to the end of the rope. You can learn more about it from the above material.