Aerodynamics and Forces of Flight

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Questions and Answers

What is aerodynamics?

The way objects move through air.

Which of the following are considered the four forces of flight? (Select all that apply)

  • Weight (correct)
  • Thrust (correct)
  • Lift (correct)
  • Drag (correct)

What type of drag increases with the square of airspeed?

  • Skin friction drag
  • Form drag
  • Parasite drag (correct)
  • Induced drag

What is form drag?

<p>The drag caused by the shape of an object moving through the air.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of polishing an aircraft's surface?

<p>To reduce skin friction drag.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What causes interference drag?

<p>The interaction of airflow between different parts of the aircraft.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is induced drag and when is it most significant?

<p>A byproduct of lift caused by wingtip vortices, most significant at low speeds.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who formulated Newton's Laws of Motion?

<p>Sir Isaac Newton.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Newton's Laws of Motion are not relevant in engineering.

<p>False (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does Newton's 1st Law of Motion state?

<p>An object at rest remains at rest unless acted upon by a force.</p> Signup and view all the answers

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Study Notes

Aerodynamics

  • Aerodynamics is the science of how objects move through air
  • The principles of aerodynamics explain how aircraft fly
  • Anything that moves through air is affected by aerodynamics, from rockets to kites to cars

Forces of Flight

  • Four main forces act on an aircraft: lift, weight, thrust, and drag
  • Lift is the upward force that opposes the aircraft's weight, generated mainly by the wings
  • Weight is the downward force due to gravity acting on the aircraft's mass
  • Thrust is the forward force produced by the engines, propelling the aircraft
  • Drag is the resistance force that opposes thrust, caused by air friction as the aircraft moves

Drag

  • Drag is an aerodynamic force that opposes aircraft motion through the air
  • Drag slows the aircraft down or requires more thrust to maintain speed
  • Two main types of drag: parasite drag and induced drag

Parasite Drag

  • Parasite drag is the resistance created by the movement of the aircraft through air
  • Form Drag is caused by an object's shape: blunt objects have higher form drag than streamlined shapes
  • Skin Friction Drag is due to friction between the aircraft's surface and flowing air particles
  • Interference Drag arises from interactions between airflow around different parts of the aircraft, causing turbulence

Induced Drag

  • Induced drag is a byproduct of lift
  • Induced drag is caused by high-pressure air from below the wing spilling over to the low-pressure area above, forming wingtip vortices
  • These vortices disrupt airflow and create drag
  • Induced drag is most significant at low speeds and decreases as airspeed increases

Newton's Laws of Motion

  • Newton's Laws of Motion describe the relationship between an object's motion and the forces acting on it
  • These laws provide a fundamental framework for understanding object behavior, whether at rest or in motion

Isaac Newton

  • Sir Isaac Newton was an English mathematician, physicist, and astronomer
  • He developed the laws of motion and the theory of universal gravitation
  • Newton's book Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (1687) introduced the three Laws of Motion, critical to classical mechanics

Newton's First Law of Motion

  • The Law of Inertia states that an object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion remains in motion at a constant velocity, unless acted upon by a net force

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