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Why Stuff Flies

Updated: Nov 21, 2020

Here's the short version: we're not sure why stuff

flies. I'm an intellectual interloper. I don't have an

aeronautics degree, just a high degree of curiosity.

That "we're not sure" answer, however, could stand

some expansion---at least in relation to paper air-

planes, which is what we'll look at here.

Paper airplanes are GLIDERS because they,

well, glide. In short, they have no motor. Let's take

a look at some of the dynamics or FORCES that

make paper airplanes glide. sahamhoki bandar qq online terpercaya


BASIC FORCES

Let's start with what everyone can agree on: The

most basic forces involved in paper airplane flight

are lift, weight, drag, and thrust. LIFT is the up-

ward force generated as a plane moves through the

air. WEIGHT is the force caused by the gravitational

pull of the earth, while DRAG is the resistance cre-

ated by a shape or material that impedes forward

motion. THRUST is the force supplied by a motor on

powered planes. With a glider, thrust is more com-

plex, since the only source of thrust is your initial

hrow. The energy from that throw is convert

into momentum, which will stretch over the whole

flight. It's a little like that first high drop from a

roller coaster: it has to supply enough momentum

to keep the coaster moving throughout the whole

trip. Good paper airplanes are designed to with-

stand a short, fast period of thrust (your throw).

Once that thrust is used up, the plane needs to bal-

ance the remaining forces of drag, lift, and weight

Figure 2 on the next page illustrates these four

basic forces. Understanding the four basic forces is

a useful way to think about paper airplane fight.

By defining aircraft design as the best way to bal-

ance these forces, thinking about and solving flight

problems becomes easier.

Now that we understand the four forces act-

ing upon an aircraft, let's take a look at the basic

anatomy of a plane. Figure 1 illustrates the vari-

ous parts of a powered plane.

If we begin to move elements around, we can

easily predict the outcome. For instance, if we

move the main wing very far to the rear but leave

the motor way out front (as in Figure 3), the center

of gravity is now very far in front of the center of

lift. A plane configured like this would crash.

However, if we move the motor to the rear

along with the wing, and add a horizontal stabilizer

to the front, balance is restored.

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