Kinesiology 2241A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 20: Knuckleball, Lift Coefficient, Airfoil

• School: Western University
• Department: Kinesiology
• Course: Kinesiology 2241A/B
• Professor: Daniel Bechard

Document Summary

If a plane were to fly upside down, the lift would be directed towards the ground. Drag becomes so strong that the object"s lift has dissipated. Avoiding drag keeps massive planes in flight. Maximize lift force by creating an optimal angle of attack or shaping projectile like an airfoil. Minimize drag force with a moderate attack angle: where . Very dense air = more lift v2 = air flow velocity. The faster you go, the force of lift increases exponentially. Similar to bernoulli"s principle, just for spinning objects. Spinning object creates differences in wind speed / velocity. Lift due to the spin on a spherical projectile. Projectile has a boundary layer of air that moves in the direction of the spin. Projectile"s boundary layer of air interfaces with on coming air flow. High and low pressure zones develop due to difference in air flow velocities. Back spin produces and upward lift force in water tunnel.