Lift is a commonly used term to describe "something" that results in objects moving upwards against the force caused by gravity. This "something" is actually a force in itself. Lift is one of the four main forces that act upon all objects that move through the air. These four forces are:
# Lift - an upward force on the object
# Weight - a downward force due to the acceleration of gravity
# Thrust - a forward force (propulsion)
# Drag - a force caused by resistance that acts in the opposite direction of thrust
Lift is a simple concept to grasp, yet the reason it exists is a complex one. To this day there is still great debate over what is the cause of lift. There are several popular explanations given which are commonly found in student textbooks, and even pilot training manuals, yet these popular explanations do not stand up to serious physics analysis. The most common of these arguments is based off of Bernoulli’s Principle.
As it has been named, "Bernoulli’s" argument states that the reason lift is created in wings is that the upper surface of the wing is curved, and therefore longer than the underside of the wing (In truth, Bernoulli had nothing to do with this explanation of lift, it is only attributed to his principle). The argument goes on to say that if the upper surface is longer than that of the bottom, the air flowing over the upper surface must travel faster as it has farther to travel. Using Bernoulli’s Principle this explanation says that because the air traveling over the top of the wing is moving faster than the air under the wing the air above the wing exerts less pressure on the wing than the air under the wing. If there is less pressure above the wing then the air under the wing will push upwards on the...
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...del for lift, even though it works in reality.
In conclusion it can be seen that lift is derived from the fact that for there to exist a lifting force created in the wings the wings must exert a force on the air around them. The wings are able to do this due to the viscosity of air and the Coanda effect. By manipulating the wing's curves and angle of attack a pilot may preform great stunts and feats not possible if lift were to be explained through other incorect models.
More information about lift, as well as a very detailed explanation of exactly how a wing interacts with the air around it can be read in the journal article: "A unified viscous theory of lift and drag of 2-d thin airfoils and 3-d thin wings" author Yates, John, published by National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Office of Management, Scientific and Technical Information Program in 1991.
Instead of just falling to the ground it went up to the ceiling and from there it slowly descended. But eventually it broke and they were inspired to make more which eventually sparked their idea to invent the glider. “It flew across the room till it struck the ceiling, where it fluttered a while, and finally sank to the floor.” (The Wright Brothers 39)
That action is known as force. A force is something that acts on an object while it is either in motion or at rest, and tends to overcome the inertia inherent of either state. (https://www.britannica.com/science/force-physics), Sir Isaac Newton’s first and second laws of motion explain how the force acts on an object and how it affects its
They found that birds tilted their wings for balance and control, and tried to simulate this, developing a concept called “wing warping.” When they added a moveable rudder, the Wright brothers found they had the formula-on December 17, 1903, they succeeded in flying the first controlled flight of a power-driven airplane. Wilbur flew their plane for 59 seconds, at 852 feet, a crazy
First of all you will have to understand the principles of flight. An airplane flies because air moving over and under its surfaces, particularly its wings, travels at different velocities, producing a difference in air pressure, low above the wing and high below it. The low pressure exerts a pulling influence, and the high pressure a pushing influence. The lifting force, usually called lift, depends on the shape, area, and tilt of the wing, and on the speed of the aircraft. The shape of the wing causes the air streaming above and below the wing to travel at different velocities. The greater distance over which the air must travel above the curved upper surface forces that air to move faster to keep pace with the air moving along the flat lower surface. According to Bernoulli’s principle, it is this difference in air velocity that produces the difference in air pressure.
Drag is caused by the disrupted air immediately behind an object moving through fluid/air. It acts perpendicular to and in the opposite direction of travel of the object and impedes the motion of the object. It would make sense that if the drag is minimized, the object will travel farther. Lift or curve in the motion of an object through air is a phenomenon that is noticeable in a ball traveling through fluid/air. This change in direction is due to the effect that spin has on the object in motion.
Paper Airplanes, flight at its simplest for humans. As kids, we learned how to build paper airplanes and send them soaring into the sky. We didn't stop to think about why the airplanes where able to fly after the initial thrust we gave them or how they were able to glide for so long afterwards. Ignorance was bliss then, but now we strive to understand how things work. Looking back to the childhood past time of flying paper airplanes, I will try to explain some of the parts that make paper airplanes fly.
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.
Air pressure can be defined as the impact air has against all the surfaces the molecules of air touches, and is measured in Pascals – one Newton per square
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.
plane and a boat's sail lifts and pushes it forward. Imagine the sail of a boat
This paper will explain a few of the key concepts behind the physics of skydiving. First we will explore why a skydiver accelerates after he leaps out of the plane before his jump, second we will try and explain the drag forces effecting the skydiver, and lastly we will attempt to explain how terminal velocity works.
One of the most important concepts to understanding how a hang glider works is to understand the concept of lift force. This lift force is best explained through use of Bernoulli's equation. This equation looks like this: P + 1/2þv2 = constant, where þ is the greek letter rho, meaning the density of the fluid (air in this case), v is the velocity, g is the gravitational force, and P is the air pressure. This equation relates pressure and velocity and in simple terms means ...
The trials and tribulations of flight have had their ups and downs over the course of history. From the many who failed to the few that conquered; the thought of flight has always astonished us all. The Wright brothers were the first to sustain flight and therefore are credited with the invention of the airplane. John Allen who wrote Aerodynamics: The Science of Air in Motion says, “The Wright Brothers were the supreme example of their time of men gifted with practical skill, theoretical knowledge and insight” (6). As we all know, the airplane has had thousands of designs since then, but for the most part the physics of flight has remained the same. As you can see, the failures that occurred while trying to fly only prove that flight is truly remarkable.
The history of flying dates back as early as the fifteenth century. A Renaissance man named Leonardo da Vinci introduced a flying machine known as the ornithopter. Da Vinci proposed the idea of a machine that had bird like flying capabilities. Today no ornithopters exist due to the restrictions of humans, and that the ornithopters just aren’t practical. During the eighteenth century a philosopher named Sir George Cayley had practical ideas of modern aircraft. Cayley never really designed any workable aircraft, but had many incredible ideas such as lift, thrust, and rigid wings to provide for lift. In the late nineteenth century the progress of aircraft picks up. Several designers such as Henson and Langley, both paved the way for the early 1900’s aircraft design. Two of the most important people in history of flight were the Wright Brothers. The Wright Brothers were given the nickname the “fathers of the heavier than air flying machine” for their numerous flights at their estate in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Orville and Wilbur Wright created a motor-powered biplane in which they established incredible feats of the time. The Wright Brothers perfected their design of the heavier than air flying ma...
Air is composed of molecules. Air is matter. It has mass and takes up space. Air is composed of different gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other gases. Air molecules are in constant motion. As they move, they come in contact with surfaces. Air molecules push and press on the surfaces they contact. The amount of force per unit area that air molecules exert on a surface is called air pressure. (What is Air Pressure 6) Air pressure is caused by all of the air molecules in the Earth's atmosphere pressing down on the Earth's surfaces. We can measure air pressure to help us predict weather conditions around the world. Temperature also affects air pressure because air contracts when it cools and expands when it is heated. So if air above a region of Earth cools, it does not extend to as high an altitude as the surrounding air. In this case, its pressure at higher temperature is lower than in the surroundings even when the pressure at the surface is the same as in surrounding areas. Then air flows into the cooler region at high altitude, making the total weight of air above the region greater than in the surroundings. This is a "high". The cool air descends to the earth's surface. Near the surface, the falling air spreads out,