Explanation of Bernouilli's principal of lift?

In summary, Bernoulli's principle of lift states that when air flows smoothly over a downwardly curved wing, the wing pushes the air downwards and the air pushes the wing upwards, resulting in lift. This can be visualized by imagining the wing and air pushing against each other according to Newton's third law. The Bernoulli equation, while important, can be tricky to apply in actual lift situations and it is recommended to refer to non-mathematical sources such as the link provided for a better understanding.
  • #1
xckycheezwhizx
3
0
Does anyone have a diagram and/or explination of Bernouilli's principal of lift?
 
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  • #3
Ummm, maybe somethin g less complicated, i am new to physics and i do not understand all of the lingo yet.
 
  • #4
Take a look at the link posted there by pervect. It is from a NASA site.
 
  • #5
xckycheezwhizx said:
Does anyone have a diagram and/or explination of Bernouilli's principal of lift?
I STRONGLY advise you to follow Clausius2's suggestion of using pervect's link.
It's an excellent source.

Just a hint, though:

Let us take the simplest case, and just assume that the air always flows smoothly over the wing. (much of the technicality in my thread is to problematize just that assumption)

Because a wing is typically "downwardly curved", saying that the air always follows the wing is the same as to say that the wing pushes the air downwards. (Think about that..)

But since then the wing push the air downwards, the air will push the wing upwards, according to Newton's 3.law.
That is, we have lift!

This is, I think, the simplest way of visualizing how the lift is achieved;
note, however, that more detailed arguments is needed to make your ideas rigourous (Jeff Reid&Clausius make several important observations here).

So, as long as you haven't learned all the maths yet, I advise you to forget about the "Bernoulli equation".
Its role in an actual lift situation is rather tricky, many have misunderstood how it should be applied.

Again, go to pervect's link; it's one of the best non-mathematical sources I've seen which visualize the lift situation.
 
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1. What is Bernoulli's principle of lift?

Bernoulli's principle of lift states that as the speed of a fluid (such as air) increases, the pressure exerted by the fluid decreases. This principle is used to explain how airplanes are able to generate lift and stay in the air.

2. How does Bernoulli's principle work?

Bernoulli's principle works by describing the relationship between the speed of a fluid and the pressure it exerts. As the speed of the fluid increases, the pressure decreases, creating an imbalance of forces that results in lift.

3. What is the role of airfoil in Bernoulli's principle of lift?

An airfoil is a specialized shape of a wing that is designed to create lift using Bernoulli's principle. The shape of the airfoil causes air to move faster over the top of the wing, creating a lower pressure and resulting in lift.

4. Does Bernoulli's principle only apply to airplanes?

No, Bernoulli's principle can be applied to any fluid, not just air. It is commonly used to explain lift in airplanes, but it can also be observed in other situations such as how water moves over a dam or how a sailboat moves through water.

5. Are there any limitations to Bernoulli's principle?

While Bernoulli's principle is a useful concept in understanding lift and other fluid dynamics, it does have limitations. It does not explain all aspects of flight and there are other factors, such as angle of attack and the shape of the airfoil, that also play a role in generating lift.

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