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What two types of forces contribute to the lift on a wing?
Originally posted by Greg Bernhardt
What two types of forces contribute to the lift on a wing?
The two types of forces that contribute to the lift on a wing are lift force and drag force.
Lift force is the upward force that is generated by the wing as it moves through the air. It is the force that enables an airplane to fly.
Drag force is the force that opposes the motion of an object through a fluid, such as air. It is caused by the friction between the object and the air molecules.
Lift force and drag force work together to create lift by the Bernoulli's principle. As air flows over the curved surface of the wing, it creates an area of low pressure above the wing and an area of high pressure below the wing. This pressure difference creates lift force, while drag force is created by the resistance of the air molecules against the wing's surface.
The amount of lift and drag force on a wing is affected by factors such as the shape and angle of the wing, the speed and density of the air, and the surface smoothness of the wing. These factors can be adjusted to optimize the performance of the wing for different flight conditions.