Can a Bird Fly Horizontally in a Cage With Downward Acceleration?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the feasibility of a bird maintaining a constant horizontal velocity while subjected to a downward acceleration within a cage. Participants conclude that it is impossible for the bird to achieve this due to the interplay of forces: lift, drag, thrust, and gravitational force (mg). The consensus is that any attempt to fly horizontally would result in a change in velocity upon hitting the cage's grate, ultimately leading to a zero horizontal velocity. The argument is supported by the dynamics of flight and the constraints imposed by the cage environment.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Newton's laws of motion
  • Familiarity with the concepts of lift, drag, thrust, and gravitational force
  • Basic knowledge of free body diagrams
  • Concept of constant acceleration in physics
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the principles of bird flight mechanics
  • Learn about free body diagrams and their applications in physics
  • Explore the effects of acceleration on motion in constrained environments
  • Investigate the dynamics of flight in free-fall conditions
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for physics students, educators, and anyone interested in the mechanics of flight and motion dynamics, particularly in constrained environments.

srikanth.isro
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Homework Statement



Is it possible for a bird to fly in a cage with a constant horizontal velocity when there is an acceleration acting in the vertically downward direction.

Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution

 
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whats your best guess?
 
i think that there can't be a motion in the horizontal direction with constant velocity when there is an acceleration in the downward direction. If the bird flies at an angle then the vertical component of the force will be compensated by mg and still there will be a net horizontal component of the force, so the bird can't move with constant velocity
 
well if we take the cage out of the problem, i would argue that any bird can do exactly what you say it can't--well maybe not do-do birds or ostriches. Birds in flight are subject to 4 forces, a constant acceleration downward, lift, drag, and thrust. If lift = mg, and thrust = drag, you have constant horizontal flight. I'm not trying to make the question seem foolish as I suspect there is more to it yet.
 
I agree with your argument. can you show with a free body diagram how these four forces act on the bird.
 
sure its not as straight forward for a bird as a plane, but mg acts downward thru the center of gravity, lift upwards thru the center of pressure, drag is slowing the horizontal velocity, and thrust (this is tricky) since it is also generated by wings in a rowing kind of motion provides force horizontally.
 
i think it's not possible in long run. assume the bird flies in a cage with a constant horizontal velocity, then after a while it will hit the grate and therefor change its horizontal velocity to zero. hence, in order for horizontal velocity to be constant it has to be zero all the time, but with zero horizontal velocity it is impossible to fly (unless there is an acceleration acting in the vertically upward direction cancelling bird's weight, which goes against the problem statement). so no, it's not possible.
 
oh crap I haven't thought about http://www.radio.usp.br/imagens/bdb_colibri.jpg :(
 
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well the obvious downer for all scenarios is that the cage is in free fall.
 

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