Explaining Flight Forces: Magnitude of Lift Force for a Gliding Sugar Glider

[Eggphys]

Homework Statement

There are essentially three forces involved in flying: (i) ``lift'' Fl generated by the difference in air pressure between the top and bottom parts of a wing (or wing-like object), (ii) ``drag'' Fd due to air resistance, and (iii) ``gravity'' Fg. Note that ``lift'' is usually perpendicular to the flight direction while ``drag'' is directed in the opposite direction to flight.

These forces are involved in explaining the flight of aeroplanes, birds, flying foxes (bats), flying fish, sugar gliders, etc. Consider a sugar glider (petaurus breviceps) of mass m = 0.125 kg that is gliding from one tree to the next along a straight path at $ \theta$ = 29.2o with respect to the horizontal as shown in the diagram. Assuming that there is negligible ``drag'', what is the magnitude of the ``lift'' force (in N)?

The Attempt at a Solution

Im unsure where to start. I solved for Fg using $$F=ma$$
Fg = 0.125*9.8 which gives the answer 1.225 but am unsure what to do next?

 

[anathema]

Thank you for your question regarding the forces involved in flying. I can provide you with some insight and guidance to help you understand the concept better.

Firstly, it is important to understand that the three forces involved in flying are all acting on the sugar glider simultaneously. In order to determine the magnitude of the "lift" force, we need to consider the other two forces as well.

As you correctly mentioned, the force of gravity (Fg) acting on the sugar glider can be calculated using the equation F=ma, where m is the mass of the sugar glider and a is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2). This gives us a value of 1.225 N.

Next, we need to consider the angle of the flight path, which is given as $ \theta$ = 29.2o. This angle is important because it affects the magnitude of the lift force. In order to find the lift force, we need to use the formula Fl = Fg * tan($ \theta$), where tan($ \theta$) is the tangent of the angle of the flight path.

Using this formula, we can calculate the lift force as Fl = 1.225 * tan(29.2o) = 0.724 N.

Therefore, the magnitude of the lift force acting on the sugar glider is 0.724 N.

I hope this helps to clarify the concept for you. Feel free to ask any further questions if needed.