Is the Impact of Gravity on Flying Animals Overlooked in Physics Discussions?

[Loren Booda]

I first posted "Effect of changing gravity on flying animals" in General Physics. It was then delegated to "Introductory Physics." Now it resides in "General Discussion"!

I believe a biased, perhaps cynical, view on the part of moderators is to blame - some "physicists" don't take me (or certain other personalities) seriously at all. Take a read and see where you think my post belongs.

 

[Cyrus]

It is way too "what if" in my opinion. The only answer possible would be pure speculation on evolutionary processes.

 

[Loren Booda]

The basic question was: how is flight affected by weight, air pressure, air density and air viscosity all varying due to a changing gravitational field. The answer may be found in the kinematics of an airfoil.

 

[chroot]

No, it's not a conspiracy. If you had posted the same thing under a different username, the same actions would have been taken.

If you're going to take personal offense to something as simple as having your post moved to what we feel is the appropriate forum, I'd suggest you find somewhere else to post.

- Warren

 

[Astronuc]

The basic question was: how is flight affected by weight, air pressure, air density and air viscosity all varying due to a changing gravitational field. The answer may be found in the kinematics of an airfoil.

Quite simply if attraction (force) of gravity where to increase, it would take more effort to stay aloft, and conversely, if gravity were decreased it would take less effort - everything esle the same, i.e. no other changes to the physics.

Air pressure and density are related (through in temperature and composition) by virtue of the gas laws. Kinematic viscosity is dependent on the composition, but dynamic viscosity is related to density, as dynamic viscosity is the product of density and kinematic viscosity. Weight is simply the product of mass and gravity!

I would have to agree with the moderators, this seems more suited to GD, since there is no new or revolutionary ideas presented. Please don't take offense at that.

 

[arildno]

Hmm..it might well belong in the Biology forum in that we might discuss how selective pressures change when we change physical parameters.

 

[Loren Booda]

Thank you all for your feedback. I will have to update myself on the posting requirements of the various fora, which seem to have changed considerably over the past several months.

 

[arildno]

Well, I for one don't see your placement of a good and interesting post in the General Physics section as a blatant mis-placement, but I can see it is a post that might as well be placed somewhere else. I don't think it is warranted to say that your post was removed out of some personal scorn of you, though.

 

[quantumdude]

Take a read and see where you think my post belongs.

I did and it seems to me that it belongs in either General Physics or Classical Physics, so I have just relocated it to the former subforum.

I dug a little deeper and conferred with other Mentors regarding the history of this incident. It seems that your question was initially interpreted as a homework question, which are the sort of threads we move to the Science Education Zone as a matter of policy. So it was sent to the Introductory Physics part of the Sci Ed Zone.

Another Mentor saw your post there and, realizing that you aren't in school, determined that the post does not belong in the Sci Ed Zone at all (and it surely doesn't), so it was moved to General Discussion.

There was no consipiracy here, just a mishandling of a post. Given the amount of traffic we have to deal with I'm amazed that we mishandle so few of them. Please try to remember that we are all volunteers and that we do the best we can.

 

[Loren Booda]

Tom,

I appreciate greatly, with relief and gratitude, your response - indeed, the time and expertise of the whole volunteer Physics Forums staff. Thank you for taking personal attention to my concern. It is hard to please all of the people all of the time, except perhaps in the quantum domain.

-Loren

 

[Loren Booda]

By the way, what is the significance of my "warn" scale now reading 13%?