ANSWERS: 8
  • Sheer persistence.
  • "Bumblebee myths: - Flight According to 20th century folklore, the laws of aerodynamics prove that the bumblebee should be incapable of flight, as it does not have the capacity (in terms of wing size or beat per second) to achieve flight with the degree of wing loading necessary. Not being aware of scientists 'proving' it cannot fly, the bumblebee succeeds under "the power of its own arrogance". The origin of this myth has been difficult to pin down with any certainty. John McMasters recounted an anecdote about an unnamed Swiss aerodynamicist at a dinner party who performed some rough calculations and concluded, presumably in jest, that according to the equations, bumblebees cannot fly. In later years McMasters has backed away from this origin, suggesting that there could be multiple sources, and that the earliest he has found was a reference in the 1934 French book Le vol des insectes by M. Magnan. Magnan is reported to have written that he and a Mr. Saint-Lague had applied the equations of air resistance to insects and found that their flight was impossible, but that "One shouldn't be surprised that the results of the calculations don't square with reality". It is believed that the calculations which purported to show that bumblebees cannot fly are based upon a simplified linear treatment of oscillating aerofoils. The method assumes small amplitude oscillations without flow separation. This ignores the effect of dynamic stall, an airflow separation inducing a large vortex above the wing, which briefly produces several times the lift of the aerofoil in regular flight. More sophisticated aerodynamic analysis shows that the bumblebee can fly because its wings encounter dynamic stall in every oscillation cycle. - Buzz One common, yet incorrect, assumption is that the buzzing sound of bees is caused by the beating of their wings. The sound is the result of the bee vibrating its flight muscles, and this can be done while the muscles are decoupled from the wings, a feature known in bees but not possessed by other insects. This is especially pronounced in bumblebees, as they must warm up their bodies considerably to get airborne at low ambient temperatures.[4] This is how bumblebees can sometimes reach an internal thoracic temperature of 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit)." Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumblebee#Bumblebee_myths
    • Roaring
      Fascinating!
  • The bees never studied science physics or aerodynamics.
  • Science is never contradicted by reality. If reality contradicts science, then it's time for an update.
  • They fly because God planned it at creation.
  • The science, physics and aerodynamics that you're reading are wrong, obviously. They're wrong because bees do fly.
  • god gave thenn the ability to fly
  • Nobody has asked the bumblebees to stop flying.

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