The Simple Science of Flight

Tennekes, Henk

ISBN 10: 0262201054 / ISBN 13: 9780262201056

Published by Mit Pr, 1996

About this Item

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Simple Science of Flight
• Publisher: Mit Pr
• Publication Date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0262201054
• ISBN 13: 9780262201056
• Binding: hardcover
• Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

Tennekes (earth sciences, Free U. of Amsterdam) explains to lay readers the aerodynamic principles that underlie the flight of everything, including paper airplanes, kites, gliders, and human-powered aircraft. He also explains such concepts as lift, drag, wing loading, and cruising speed; and the impact of fuel efficiency, headwind, tailwind, and other factors. First published in 1992 by Aramith Uitgevers as De wetten van de vliegkunst: Over stijgen dalen, vliegen en zweven . Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Review

An eminently practical example of how human engineering can be informed by the billions of years of biological structural evolution.

From the smallest gnat to the largest aircraft, all things that fly obey the same aerodynamic principles. This book offers an introduction to the mechanics of flight and, beyond that, to the scientific attitude that finds wonder in simple calculations and forges connections between, say, the energy efficiency of a peanut butter sandwich that fuels your body and that of the kerosene that fuels a jumbo jet. It is the product of a lifetime of watching and investigating flight by an always wise and often witty scientist and writer.