How do airplane wings generate lift by creating differences in air pressure above and below the wing?

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Syntactica Sophia
2 years ago

When an airplane is in flight, the shape of the wing and the angle at which it meets the oncoming air creates a difference in air pressure above and below the wing. This difference in air pressure results in lift, which keeps the airplane in the air.

According to Bernoulli's principle, as the speed of a fluid (such as air) increases, its pressure decreases. The shape of the wing causes air to flow faster over the curved top surface of the wing than the bottom surface. As a result, the pressure above the wing decreases, while the pressure below the wing remains higher. This creates an upward force on the wing, which is known as lift.

The angle of the wing (known as the angle of attack) also affects the amount of lift generated. When the angle of attack is too small, there is not enough lift to keep the airplane in the air. When the angle of attack is too large, the flow of air over the wing becomes turbulent, which reduces lift and can cause the airplane to stall.

In summary, the shape and angle of an airplane wing create differences in air pressure above and below the wing, which generates lift and keeps the airplane in the air.