Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: DREDger on November 21, 2008, 05:17:16 PM
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I've got some engineering trivia...
Can anyone tell me what geometric shape is the most aerodynamic? That is to say which creates the least amount of drag travelling through the atmosphere.
It wasn't what I first thought, but when I learned the answer, it was like 'of course, how obvious!' :O
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I've got some engineering trivia...
Can anyone tell me what geometric shape is the most aerodynamic? That is to say which creates the least amount of drag travelling through the atmosphere.
It wasn't what I first thought, but when I learned the answer, it was like 'of course, how obvious!' :O
Frisbee? :D
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I've got some engineering trivia...
Can anyone tell me what geometric shape is the most aerodynamic? That is to say which creates the least amount of drag travelling through the atmosphere.
It wasn't what I first thought, but when I learned the answer, it was like 'of course, how obvious!' :O
Raindrop?
Edit : skipped the geometric duhhhhh. :D
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How about a small radius cylinder, like an arrow...
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Bronk wins the prize, yep, the raindrop or teardrop.
We ran experiements in lab years ago, and put different geometric shapes in a wind tunnel and measured the drag. The raindrop or tear drop shape will always produce the least drag. (An academic exercise, of course this has been known for years, and not to imply we discovered anything new)
Nothing more to see here, move along
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Bronk wins the prize, yep, the raindrop or teardrop.
We ran experiements in lab years ago, and put different geometric shapes in a wind tunnel and measured the drag. The raindrop or tear drop shape will always produce the least drag. (An academic exercise, of course this has been known for years, and not to imply we discovered anything new)
Nothing more to see here, move along
Not surprising, especially if you take a look at isometric airfoil cross sections. They usually closely resemble an elongated rain drop.
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Of course .. anyone who read E.E. 'Doc' Smith's Skylark of Valeron series would know that :)
(ok ok . any aerodynamic course covers it too .. but .. not as much fun to read a text book..
..for most people.. I kinda liked it ..its why I still have 'em)
-GE