Properties of Air and the Four Forces of Flight
What are the four forces of flight?
Drag, Gravity, Thrust, and Lift.
What is Newton’s first law and what does it mean?
An object in motion tends to stay in motion unless hit by an external force. It means that a moving object usually will stay in motion until stopped by something else.
Name one living and non-living flying object.
Answers will vary:
bird
airplane
Name one positive effect of the creation of the airplane.
Answers will vary:
Travelling has become more accessible.
What made Einstein’s idea for a plane wing fail?
The shape wasn’t right. He didn’t use the airfoil shape.
What do each of the forces do?
Thrust: A forward force that is what accelerates the object in motion.
Lift: An upward force that pushes the object up.
Gravity: A downward force that pulls an object down.
Drag: A backward force that pulls something back.
What is Newton’s second law and what does it mean?
Acceleration is produced when a force acts on its mass. This means that the greater amount of mass in an object means the greater the force needed for it’s acceleration.
How do helicopters use the airfoil shape?
In their 17 blades.
Name one negative effect of airplanes.
Answers will vary:
Massive air pollution caused by fuel exhaust.
What is the most efficient living flying object.
A bat.
Does air ever stop pressing against something?
No, it will keep on pressing.
What is Newton’s third law and what does it mean?
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This means that if an object goes in one direction, it will always go in the opposite as well.
What non-living object does not truly fly?
Rockets.
Who created the airplane?
The Wright Brothers.
What is the law of flight?
Air particles always travel from high pressure to low pressure areas.
What is the difference between mass and weight?
Mass is the amount of matter in an object, and weight is how it’s affected by gravity.
What is Bernouli’s principle?
Fast moving air has a lower air pressure than slow moving air because the air particles are more spread out instead of packed.
Name 2 reasons humans can’t fly.
Their arms don’t have the airfoil shape.
The ratio of weight between our arms and legs is far too high for successful flying.
Humans don’t have the proper anatomy.
How has the invention of the airplane been dangerous?
There are many people on a plane, and even one mistake can be fatal.
Explain the airfoil shape.
Fast moving air particles travel on the top, and slow moving on the bottom. Lift is generated and brings it up.
The pressure of air in an elevator lowers the higher you go, but the human air pressure doesn’t. Why?
The air pressure in the human body is higher than in the elevator as you ascend.
How has Bernouli’s principle helped the design of airplanes?
Bernouli’s principle helps explain the shape of a plane wing, and how air flows faster above the wing, and slower under it.
How do helicopter blades work?
The helicopter’s blades begin to rotate because of the engine that they are attached to. Once they begin spinning they cut through the air with an angle of attack that begins pushing air downwards. Once the blades begin to move at a fast enough speed they generate enough downward force that eventually lifts the helicopter into the air.
What has the invention of the airplane made us accustomed to?
Immediate gratification.
Bonus points (2x): What is the point on a flying object that cuts through the air?
The angle of attack.