THE MECHANICS OF FLIGHT

Humans have been making ships, shelters, pyramids, weapons, agricultural equipment, and many more items without recording the process or theory behind them for centuries. It would be challenging to document the evolution of mechanics from its origin to the present.
According to records, the history of mechanics starts with Aristotle (384–322 BC). He related mechanics to physical theory, aiming for a universal synthesis.
Newton defined mechanics as the branch of physical science that studies the...

Visualize a drone, with its propellers spinning rapidly, hovering mid-air. The fascinating movements and operations of this drone can be comprehended by applying the principle of general plane motion.
As the drone's propellers rotate, an upward force is generated that counteracts the force of gravity, enabling the drone to lift off from the ground. This initial movement of the drone is along a straight path, representing a form of translational motion. In this phase, every point on the drone...

Lift is a fundamental aerodynamic force that acts perpendicular to the direction of airflow. It plays a central role in achieving and sustaining flight and in stabilizing various vehicles. Lift primarily originates from pressure differences created across surfaces, such as an airfoil. A lower pressure region forms above the wing, while a higher pressure region forms below it, generating an upward force. This differential results from the shape and orientation of the airfoil, enabling the wing...

In the context of a rigid body's movement within a general plane, it is important to understand that this motion is typically triggered by external forces or couple moments exerted onto it. This principle can be explained through Newton's second law, which stipulates the translational motion of the body's center of mass along each axis.
Moreover, the body's center of mass experiences a rotational effect as a result of these couple moments. This rotation can be articulated as the product of the...

Consider a flywheel, having an uneven mass distribution, rotating steadily around a fixed axis. As this rotation occurs, the center of mass of the flywheel traces a circular path. Understanding the acceleration of this center of mass requires observing both its tangential and normal components.
The tangential component is dependent on the direction of the angular acceleration of the flywheel. The tangential component of the acceleration propels the flywheel along its path. On the other hand,...

When an object moves with constant acceleration, the velocity of the object changes at a constant rate throughout the motion. The kinematic equations of motions are derived for such cases where the acceleration of the object is constant. The first kinematic equation gives an insight into the relationship between velocity, acceleration, and time. We can see, for example: