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A wing creates lift by imparting a downward momentum to the air flowing above and below it. The rate of change of momentum is equal to Force (Newton's 2nd law), and therefore a reaction force pushes the wing up, producing lift (Newton's 3rd law).
The imparting of this downward momentum ("downwash") to the air results from an air pressure differential above/below the wing. If you know the pressure above the wing and the pressure below the wing, and the wing area, you can calculate the lift force on the wing since Force = Pressure x Area. If you don't know the pressures, you can get a rough estimate if you know what the average air velocities are above and below the wing. A wing creating lift will have higher speed air flowing over the top of it than flowing below it. By employing Bernoulli's Principle, you can calculate a pressure difference corresponding to the difference in velocity.
An airfoil shape is effective in generating lift since it helps to keep the air flowing smoothly around the wing, making the wing more effective in diverting the air downwards. However, even a perfectly flat wing can create lift (such as in a toy balsa wood glider). However a flat wing isn't practical for a full sized airplane since it's not quite as effective in producing lift, it produces a lot of drag and it stalls abruptly.
Note that there is no requirement that the air molecules separating at the leading edge and flowing below the wing meet up with the same molecules that flow over the top. This is called the "equal transit time theory" and is a popular science myth that unfortunately has found it's way into flight manuals and even some undergraduate texts. However, aerodynamics engineers have known ever since they started doing wind tunnel testing that the air flowing over a lifting wing reaches the trailing edge sooner than the air below it. This is true even for a perfectly flat wing. This can be explained in terms of the circulation theory, which is an advanced concept.
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What force pushes an airplane wing up?
Lift
Why does the lift on an airplane wing increase as the speed of the airplane increases?
The pressure above the wing be Save comes less than the pressure below the wing.
The upward force acting on the wing of an airplane in flight is called?
Lift.
How is the lift equation useful when you are designing a wing?
A wing will generate lift according to the following equation: L = ½ A C ρ v² A = wing area C = lift coefficient ρ = air density v = air speed From the equation you can see that the lift force is directly proportional to the wing area. Double the wing area and you double the lift, all else remaining equal. The lift force is also directly proportional to the lift coefficient, which is a function of the airfoil shape, angle of attack and wing aspect ratio. Lift is directly proportional the air density, so this tells you that an airplane flying at sea level can produce more lift than if flying at 18,000 feet. Lift is proportional to the square of velocity, meaning that if you fly twice as fast you will generate 4 times the lift, all else being equal.
How much lift will a wing generate?
A wing will generate lift according to the following equation: L = ½ A C ρ v² A = wing area C = lift coefficient ρ = air density v = air speed The lift coefficient C is a function of Angle of Attack (AOA), which is the angle between the wing's chord line and the relative wind. The greater the angle, the greater the lift coefficient up until the critical AOA where the wing begins to stall and lose lift. The lift coefficient is also a function of wing aspect ratio and will be specific to a certain airfoil shape.
What force pushes an airplane wing up?
Lift
How does thehow is a birds flight and airplanes flight alike and different?
The airplane and bird both generate lift by the air flowing over their wings. The shape of the wings cause a low pressure zone above the wing and a high pressure zone under the wing generating lift. The main difference is the airplane's wings are stationary requiring engines to supply the forward motion to generate the airflow/lift needed. A bird has to flap their wings to generate the forward motion/lift. A bird can cause lift by flapping it's wing up/down but also by changing the angle of it's wings (angle of attack) to generate lift. The bird can generate more forward thrust by also drawing the wings rearward, Different birds fly differently (hummingbirds vs. condors, etc).
Does the shape of an airplane wing matter?
Yes because an airplane wing has to cut through wind and create loft and lift.
Why does the lift on an airplane wing increase as the speed of the airplane increases?
The pressure above the wing be Save comes less than the pressure below the wing.
What does the increased pressure below an airplane's wing cause?
Lift.
Is the upward force on a airplane wing is thrust?
Thrust is the forward motion of the airplane provided by the engines. Lift is the upward force on an airplanes wing.
What forces acts on a plane?
Forces that act on an airplane? There are several. First, the thrust of the engines which push the airplane forward. If it's a jet-powered airplane, then the force of the air and burned fuel being pushed out of the BACK of the engine drive the plane FORWARD. If it's a propeller-powered plane, then the propellers spin around in the air and generate lift which pulls the plane forward. There's the force of gravity, which pulls the airplane to the ground. There is the force of "lift". As the plane moves through the air, the air standing still flows backwards over the wing and under the wing. The air going over the wing is forced to move faster than the air moving under, which generates lift. The faster the airplane, or the more curved the wing is, the more lift is generated. The lift generated by the air flowing across the wing lifts the airplane against gravity. Finally, drag tends to slow the airplane down. When the airplane slows down, it generates less lift, and it decends. If it slows down too much, the airplane will stop flying and will crash.
The upward force acting on the wing of an airplane in flight is called?
Lift.
What happens when your Increasing an airplane's speed or wing size?
Greater lift
How is the lift equation useful when you are designing a wing?
A wing will generate lift according to the following equation: L = ½ A C ρ v² A = wing area C = lift coefficient ρ = air density v = air speed From the equation you can see that the lift force is directly proportional to the wing area. Double the wing area and you double the lift, all else remaining equal. The lift force is also directly proportional to the lift coefficient, which is a function of the airfoil shape, angle of attack and wing aspect ratio. Lift is directly proportional the air density, so this tells you that an airplane flying at sea level can produce more lift than if flying at 18,000 feet. Lift is proportional to the square of velocity, meaning that if you fly twice as fast you will generate 4 times the lift, all else being equal.
What is the use of flaps in airplanes?
Flaps increase the aerodynamic lift of a wing by increasing it's surface area. This allows the airplane to generate a greater amount of lift at slower speeds. In other words, when the flaps are extended, the airplane doesn't have to go as fast in order to take off or land. The flaps are retracted once the airplane is off the ground and has increased its speed to a point where the extra lift from the flaps is no longer needed. Flaps also have the effect of increasing drag on the airplane wing which reduces the airplane's speed and efficiency, but this only affects the aircraft when operating at higher speeds.
What is the difference between the wright brothers' airplane and the airplanes today?
the wright brothers airplane was powered by a propeller that generated lift through a bi-winged design while modern airplanes are powered by jet engines that generate thrust in turn making lift over a single wing design
