Aerodynamics Which shape can accomplish the design objectives Essay

Aerodynamics Which shape can accomplish the design objectives - Essay Example However, they are not to be assumed in the current time where fuel is expensive. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (2013) define aerodynamics as the manner in which air travels around things. It indicates that through the laws of aerodynamics, researchers have been able to expound on how aircrafts fly. Physics indicates that for an airplane to be able to travel through the air, there are force constituents that make up aerodynamics. These force constituents relate in such a way that an airplane is able to fly symmetrically. When flying symmetrically, two forces are in action. They are lift and drag. Drag is defined as the part of the aerodynamic force, which is parallel to the wind in action. It is said to impede on the forward movement of the airplane. If an airplane is travelling at a speed less than that of the speed of sound through air, it experiences induced and parasite drag (Dole & Lewis, 2000). On the other hand, lift is the sum of all aerodynamic forces that are acting on an airplane, which is after they are determined perpendicu larly to the path of flight. It is the result from forces of pressure that act on the surface exposed to airflow. So, what design can save fuel? It is the paper’s aim to answer this question. Firstly, this paper will look at the arguments in support of the idea that winglets help in saving fuel. Secondly, it will examine the arguments against this idea. Thereafter, a conclusion shall be made on the fuel saving ability of winglets. Lift is required to cover for mass forces and is approximately equal to the weight of the airplane (Torenbeek & Wittenberg, 2009). The wings and tail plane generate lift successfully when drag is at most minimum. Hence, there arises a lift to drag ratio (L/D) that is used to measure their efficacy. Minimum drag (D min) is obtained by: (W) Ã · (L/D) max. With these in mind, there has been questions around the best