3 ms·
Perhaps I'm being a dunce right now, but doesn't the fan exert a force on the car opposite the direction of flow, and wouldn't that force necessarily be greater
by jimktrains2 7y ago
Perhaps I'm being a dunce right now, but doesn't the fan exert a force on the car opposite the direction of flow, and wouldn't that force necessarily be greater than the force of capturing the same flow in a sail?
Also, why not just use the fan or laser or led as the means of propulsion directly?
- umvi 7y agoNo, because of conservation of momentum. Same reason a jet engine can move a piece of metal to reverse its thrust
- jimktrains2 7y agoSure, the air hitting the sail would impart a force on the craft, but there is also a force from the fan? I guess I think of reversers as redirecting the jet blast in a controlled manner, I guess I don't think of the sail as redirecting the wind in a controlled manner.