4 ms·

'Lightfoil' soars on a stream of photons

• RiderOfGiraffes 16y ago
  <nitpick> They put the rods in a container of water, then shined ... What's wrong with the word "shone" ?? > Wings ... soar because air moves faster over their top > sides, reducing the pressure above. The relatively high > pressure below pushes upwards, providing lift. <fx: sigh> That effect alone is not enough to create flight. Equally, often more, important is the net deflection of the air downwards. This is in part because the Coanda effect makes the air follow the surface, and then the trailing edge is pointing more downwards than the original flow. It's complicated, but I just hate to see the standard, wrong "explanation" trotted out unthinkingly. The effect reported here is interesting enough without such bad analogies being propagated. </nitpick>