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Old 6th Feb 2023, 15:57
  #449 (permalink)  
the_stranger
 
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Originally Posted by Uplinker
In the real world, the air molecules are not moving over or under a wing. They are simply sitting still, or wandering around gently, having a great day - until suddenly some metallic object whips past them: "WTF was that?", they say. The ones above got squished up together, the ones underneath not so much.

So the air molecules are not 'trying to equalise their speed over the wing' they are sitting still while the wing is doing the moving past them and pushing them up or down.

Most wind tunnels, of course, move the air molecules while keeping the wing static, and I wonder if this is where the confusion arose?
In physics it doesn't matter which frame of reference you choose.
Youbtakenthebframe of the air, in which the wing is moving. But it is totally equivalent to see it dromen the frame of the wing, in which the air is moving.
Both will come to the same result.
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