Trail · 6 stops

How does a plane fly?

Six stops from the idea of a force to a working airplane: what holds a plane up, what holds it back, and how its parts work together.

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1. 1
   Forces

   A force is a push or a pull with a size and a direction. Forces start, stop and steer every motion, including an airplane's flight.

2. 2
   Aerodynamics

   The study of forces on objects moving through air, and the motion they cause. It explains what holds a plane up and what slows it down.

3. 3
   Lift

   Lift is the force that holds an airplane up. A wing makes it by turning the air flowing past it, so flight needs both air and motion.

4. 4
   Bernoulli's Principle

   In a flowing fluid, faster flow means lower pressure. It's a form of energy conservation, and one correct way to explain how wings make lift.

5. 5
   Drag

   Drag is the air resistance that pushes back on anything moving through air. Its strength depends on shape, surface, speed and the air itself.

6. 6
   Aircraft

   How an airplane's parts work together: wings for lift, engines for thrust, and hinged surfaces that let the pilot steer in three directions.