Liquid and Gas

Objects experience lift and drag when they travel through all kinds of gases, not just air. A spacecraft entering anoth­er planet’s atmosphere experiences drag. If it were the right shape, it could also
produce lift. Objects moving through liq­uids also experience lift and drag. The streamlined shape of a fish enables it to slip through water easily with minimum drag. Ships and submarines experience drag as they move through water. Ships called hydrofoils have underwater wings. As a hydrofoil accelerates, its underwater wings produce lift, and the ship’s hull rises up out of the water.

N

SEE ALSO:

• Aerodynamics • Aircraft Design

• Bernoulli’s Principle • Force

• Glider • Laws of Motion • Thrust

• Weight and Mass • Wing

_____________________________________________ /