Wind Turbines and Conic Sections

[Erika Brown]

I am working on a project for my precalculus class. They are going to study wind turbines and design a wind turbine blade. I am trying to understand the math behind wind turbines myself. Can I relate wind turbines to a study of conic sections?

 

[haruspex]

Can I relate wind turbines to a study of conic sections?

Doesn't look likely to me. Why do you think that might be possible? Aerofoils would be nearer the mark.

 

[Erika Brown]

Doesn't look likely to me. Why do you think that might be possible? Aerofoils would be nearer the mark.

I found a project already developed on a Project Based Learning website. One part of the project is designing a wind turbine blade and the other is studying conic sections. However, it fails to show the connection between the two parts. I liked the project but I need to be able to relate the two for the students.

 

[boneh3ad]

Actual turbine blades are extraordinarily complex and require considerable computational resources to design. I can't honestly see a way to relate any of it to conic sections, particularly at the precalculus level. Do you have any other details on this other project that might give us more detail on your line of thought here?

 

[OrangeDog]

If you design a savonius wind turbine (these are not very efficient) then you might be able to relate it to conic sections.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savonius_wind_turbine