Lift
What direction does the force lift move an aircraft?
Up
What direction does the force thrust move an aircraft?
Forward
What direction does the force drag move an aircraft?
Backwards
What direction does the force weight move an aircraft?
Down
What about air makes it so that objects can fly through it?
Air is a fluid.
What force works against lift?
Weight
What force works against thrust?
Drag
What force works against drag?
Thrust
What force works against weight?
Lift
Do flying squirrels fly?
No, they glide through the air.
What is Brenoulli's principle?
Air that moves faster has lower pressure, so the air that moves on top of the wing has less pressure than the air below, causing the airplane to lift.
What part of the aircraft is designed to generate thrust?
The engines and propeller.
Is drag always bad?
No
What is gravity?
The force that pulls objects to the center of the Earth and holds things down on the ground.
How do race cars reduce lift?
They use a spoiler, which is an upside-down wing that pushes the car back onto the ground.
What is the angle of attack?
The angle that the wing makes with the oncoming air.
How does a propeller work?
It spins and pushes air behind the propeller, which causes thrust.
How does a parachute work?
It increases the surface area that the air needs to go around, which increases drag and slows the object down.
What is the center of gravity (CG)?
The point on an object where weight is balanced equally on all sides.
What is one of the adaptations that make birds able to fly?
They are lightweight, have light bones, have strong flight muscles, their wings are shaped to create lift, and their body is streamlined to reduce drag.
What other scientist had a theory about lift?
Newton
How does a jet engine work?
Fuel is converted into thrust by burning it, and the exhaust that comes out the back thrusts the aircraft forward.
What is aerodynamics?
How an object is shaped to reduce drag.
Where does an aircraft want to place extra weight to help maintain flight?
Near the center of gravity (CG).
What is air compression?
Putting air into a smaller space so the pressure is increased.