ANSWERS: 2
  • Pressure differential over a wing. The air takes longer to travel over the upper part of a wing than the lower - Note a wing is shaped like an elongated D on its back - where the "hump" side is the up side and the flat side is the bottom. Since it takes longer for air to travel over the hump than the flat side the air pressure drops compared to the flat side leading to lift. Planes must travel at X speed (depending on the mass and the design of the craft and the wing to mass ratio) in order to stay aloft. Failure to keep the speed results in stall or in the air pressure differential over the wings dipping below the minimal needed to keep the plane in flight.
  • It is affected by gravity, but the effect that the aerofoil shape of the wing has as the plane travels through the air is to create higher pressure beneath the wing than above, causing lift. Airspeed can drop below the point that this pressure differential is effective, in which case gravity becomes the dominant factor and the plane will fall. Sailing boat sails have the same aerodynamic shape, which explains why they can sail towards (but not directly into) the direction the wind is blowing from.

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