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Old 14th Nov 2012, 09:13
  #235 (permalink)  
Owain Glyndwr
 
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In the conclusions of the Anderson/Eberhardt paper that Lyman cites so often the authors say:
Although circulation theory can be used for accurate calculations of lift, it does not give a simple, intuitive description of the lift on the wing.
I admit I thought (hoped) that professional pilots might be interested in an accurate description of how lift is generated and smart enough to understand it if presented in non-mathematical language. Seems like both expectations were optimistic.

So Brian Abrahams was right - it is a waste of time and I will follow his lead by leaving you to wallow happily.

But allow me a parting question. Would some advocate of the Newtonian explanation tell us how it explains the presence of those strong vortices at the outer ends of flaps or wings? Looks to me as if there is as much air moving up in those rotational flows as there is moving down. But Newton says all the air is moving downwards doesn't it? [BTW, the explanation should not involve drooling Bernouilli or pressures above the wingtips being lower than the pressure on the lower surface]

Eppur si muove

Last edited by Owain Glyndwr; 14th Nov 2012 at 09:20.
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