Doug Jaeger, age 14, of Austin, Texas, for his question:
WHAT DOES AERODYNAMICS MEAN?
Aerodynamics is the study of the forces acting on an object due to air or other gases moving past it. You'll find aerodynamic forces acting on airplanes, sailboats and any other object moving through air.
Almost all aerodynamic principles relate to the two basic aerodynamic forces: "lift" and "drag."
Lift is an aerodynamic force produced by the motion of a wing, or airfoil, through the air. Lift is the force that gives an airplane ability to climb into the air and the force that then holds it up during flight.
An airfoil moving through the air produces lift because it has a greater pressure on its lower surface than on its upper surface. An airfoil produces this pressure difference because of its special shape, called "camber," and its turning, or deflection, of the air. The amount of lift produced depends partly on the wing's angle of attack and its high lift devices.
Drag, on the other hand, is an aerodynamic force that resists the forward motion of an object. The shape of the object influences the amount of drag. An airplane wing that is shaped to produce as little drag as possible is called streamlined or aerodynamically clean.
Design engineers build planes so drag is reduced to a minimum. Low drag improves the plane's performance. Cars, trains, trucks and other vehicles also encounter drag.
Orville and Wilbur Wright spent three years in research to develop the propeller driven airplane that they first flew in 1903. The brothers used such devices as wind tunnels and weighing systems to measure lift and drag.
Before they succeeded in building the first successful airplane, the Wright brothers actually studied aerodynamics. Pioneers of aerodynamics included the great early Italian artist and scientist, Leonardo da Vinci. He was the first to scientifically study the flight of birds 500 years ago.
During World War I and World War II, extensive research in aerodynamics was conducted. After jet planes were developed in the 1940s, engineers turned to supersonic flight.
It all started with Leonardo da Vinci in 1480 when he drew sketches of birds in flight and of proposed flying machines.
During the 1950s, aircraft designers came up with daggerlike noses and swept back wings for their airplanes as a way to reduce drag.
A number of aerodynamic problems remain unsolved today, including a need for new designs for supersonic aircraft that will minimize sonic booms, development of low drag planes for more economical flight and improved jet engines that will reduce airplane noise.