Windy Tunnel
Through this activity, Bernoulli's principle as it relates to winged flight is demonstrated. Student pairs use computers and an online virtual wind tunnel to see the influence of camber and airfoil angle of attack on lift. Activity and math worksheets are provided.
Winged flight demonstrates Bernoulli's principle.Copyright 2006 Jorge Royan, Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_wing_of_a_jet_in_flight_-_1297.jpg
As part of the iterative engineering design process, engineers continuously check and modify their designs before they achieve success and are considered final. Wind tunnels and computer simulations of wind tunnels enable aerospace engineers to test wing designs before they build full-size aircraft. By using small-size models and computer simulations, engineers can test the performance of their design in a less-expensive, efficient and safe manner.
After this activity students, should be able to:
- Use computer software (available on the internet) to model the lift on an airplane wing.
- Explain the variables that affect lift.
- Solve linear math equations with known and unknown variables.
- Describe a real-world application of Bernoulli's principle.