Abstract
Spinning objects such as Frisbees possess unique flying characteristics. They are in essence spinning wings gliding in mid-air propelled by the forces of torque and aerodynamic lift. The relationship between Newton’s Laws of Motion and the flight of the Frisbee will be discussed. This paper will attempt to highlight and show the different physical motions involved behind the spinning edge of the Frisbee and the similar forces it shares with other heavier winged objects. Lastly, how major improvements in the redesign of the Frisbee contributed to its increased stability and precision in its flight in the air.
The Flight of the Frisbee
Objects that fly are designed to push air down. The momentum of the air going down is what causes Frisbees or winged objects to travel skyward. This type of force acting on a flying disk is typically known as the “aerodynamic lift” (Bloomfield, 1999, p. 132). Consider a flying kite, which in essence is also a winged object. When a kite’s flat bottom surfaces are angled into the wind, air gets pushed down and the kite glides upward. Kites must rely on the wind to keep it suspended in mid-air, while flying birds and insects utilize their muscular flapping motions to maintain their flight in motion. Airplanes rely on spinning propellers and turbine fans to provide adequate momentum for take off from the runway. With flying Frisbees, that momentum is generated primarily by the tossing power of the human arm and wrist motion. The Frisbee’s course of flight is “directly related to the torque or twist force” applied by the individual throwing the flying disk (Fisher & Phillips, 2003, p. 12).
To narrow down more on the details involved in the flight of the Frisbee, there are four fundamental forces that affect a flying Frisbee: lift, weight, thrust, and drag. Aerodynamic lift acting on the Frisbee is considered a positive force, and happens when “the Frisbee pushes down on the air, the air pushes upward on the Frisbee” (Bloomfield, 1999, p. 132). This in turn causes the air pressure under the disk to be higher than the air pressure over the top of the disk, thereby creating the effect of an upward air vacuum. In order for a Frisbee to fly straight and stay in the air, its center of aerodynamic lift must remain near its center of gravity over a wide range of airspeeds and angles of attack.
Thrust is the oth...
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...the plane of the disk. A sharp ridge at the upper edge separates the airflow at the leading edge. These ridges act as spoilers to create turbulent airflow, which confines the center of lift to the center of the disk. The result is an aerial disk that flies better and farther than the Frisbee.
In conclusion, the Frisbee is an effective studying tool for introducing and examining the basic principles involved in the mechanics of flying winged objects. Newton’s Laws of Motion is reiterated throughout its design processes, while its application can be closely observed in its real three-dimensional form.
References
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In the Ted talk called, The Deadly Genius of Drug Cartels, with the speaker Rodrigo Canales, he talks about the following; the violence of the drug cartels, the financial businesses of the drug cartels, and how they're successful with the U.S is involved. First, in the Ted Talk, Rodrigo Canales speaks about the violence of Mexico from the past six years which is caused by the drug dealers. The violence is caused by the drug dealers because it's key to them to have good brand management and having a strong group organization, therefore causing them to be violent. Also, the amount of violence in Mexico was caused by the drug dealers causing 100,000 innocent casualties, which is more deaths than the Iraq war. Next, in this Ted Talk, the speaker Rodrigo Canales explains the financial businesses of the drug cartels and how they're successful and how the U.S is involved with the drug cartels to make the cartels financially stable.
Doolittle was the most accomplished aviator of his generation, from his PhD in aeronautics to his daring stunt flying ca...
Second, a science fair was held and only two were competing. One was George Melvil’s The Flying Machine: A System of Low-Resistance Pulleys, and Whit Austin’s Laser Cannon with Tracker. George’s project wasn’t even given a peep from the judges and that when he was trying to get their attention, Susan Singer-Wright, chair of the county commission, said to him that the fair already had a winner.
In conclusion, enabling stricter gun control laws will help to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill, criminals, and children and teens. With these laws put into place there will be more assurance of the safety of American citizens. It is not necessary to strip citizens of their right to own a gun, but we should be able to make it harder to get guns. If you are someone with a clear record and using a gun for recreation use, you will have no trouble obtaining a gun. In the long run increase the laws on gun control hurts nobody. Despite historic events where governments seized firearms and killed millions of citizens, today we have a different problem, which is making sure guns are in the right hands.
With all the shootings and random acts of violence, such as the shooting at the movie theatre in Colorado, or the Sandy Hook shootings, stricter gun control laws have been a hot topic in politics and the national mainstream media. The government thinks that gun control being stricter would help to make less of these tragic incidences occur. I am against this thought because I believe that the law-abiding citizens will be the only ones to give up their guns and criminals will then have an upper hand on the innocent. Even though banning guns is supposed to save lives, cities such as Chicago have already shown that stricter gun laws should not be passed because violent murders are still prevalent in these types of cities and strict gun laws have not worked like they were supposed to.
Many people are amazed with the flight of an object, especially one the size of an airplane, but they do not realize how much physics plays a role in this amazing incident. There are many different ways in which physics aids the flight of an aircraft. In the following few paragraphs some of the many ways will be described so that you, the reader, will realize physics at work in the world of flight.
For a plane to create lift, its wings must create low pressure on top and high pressure on the bottom. However, at the tips of the wings, the high pressure pushes and the low pressure pulls air onto the top of the wing, reducing lift and creating a current flowing to the top. This current remains even after the wing has left the area, producing really awesome vortices.
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Logan, Samuel. (2012, February 16). A profile of Los Zetas: Mexico's second most powerful drug cartel.
Flight is one of the most important achievements of mankind. We owe this achievement to the invention of the airfoil and understanding the physics that allow it to lift enormous weights into the sky.
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Ever wondered about what initiated the ability of flight among insects and vertebrates? About how the creatures take off and venture into their flight? Well if “yes” was an answer to one of the questions (or even if it wasn’t), Flight is the place to find the answers.
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