Air passes over the top of an airplane wing at 235 m/s and over the bottom at 190 m/s. If the wing has area 10 m^2, how much lift results?
To calculate the lift generated by an airplane wing, we need to use the Bernoulli's principle. According to Bernoulli's principle, the pressure exerted by a fluid decreases as its velocity increases.
The lift force can be calculated using the equation:
Lift = pressure difference * wing area
First, we need to find the pressure difference between the top and bottom surface of the wing. The pressure difference arises due to the difference in the speed of the air passing over the wing.
Given that the air passes over the top of the wing at a speed of 235 m/s and over the bottom at a speed of 190 m/s, we can calculate the pressure difference as follows:
Pressure difference = Dynamic pressure at the top - Dynamic pressure at the bottom
Dynamic pressure is defined as:
Dynamic pressure = 0.5 * density * velocity^2
Let's assume the density of air to be constant at sea level, which is approximately 1.225 kg/m^3.
Calculating the dynamic pressures:
Dynamic pressure at the top = 0.5 * 1.225 kg/m^3 * (235 m/s)^2
Dynamic pressure at the bottom = 0.5 * 1.225 kg/m^3 * (190 m/s)^2
Substitute the given values into the equations and calculate the dynamic pressures.
Next, subtract the dynamic pressure at the bottom from the dynamic pressure at the top to find the pressure difference.
Now, multiply the pressure difference by the wing area (10 m^2) to obtain the lift force.
Finally, you will have the value for the lift force generated by the wing.