How Things Don't Work at U of South Carolina

Physics 101 How Things Work at University of South Carolina

• emphasizes the physics that you encounter in your everyday life. Most classes will include vivid demonstrations of the phenomena being discussed. In addition, the Physics theory problems will be worked to obtain more practical insights.

In How Airplanes Fly the curious student eager to understand the everyday experience of airplane flight is fed with:

• Before their first powered flight in December 1903, the Wright brothers tested many different wing shapes in a wind tunnel to find the shape that produced the most lifting force. This shape is often called an airfoil. 
• The fluid moving over the top travels a greater distance than that moving just under the bottom of the wing. Consequently, the fluid moving over the top must travel faster in order to conform with the shape of the wing and still maintain the natural streamline. 
• The shape of the wing also crowds the streamlines together above the wing, just as in the case of a constricting pipe. The result is that the region immediately above the wing experiences reduced pressure relative to the region immediately below the wing. 
• Because the downward force on the top of the wing is less than the upward force on the bottom, a net upward force, or lift, arises from the air flow. (Beyond the airfoil the flowing air has a downward component of velocity. By Newton's third law, the reaction force to the net downward force exerted on the air is the lift.) 
• Note that for lift to occur, a flow of air is required relative to the wing. The lift occurs equally well for a wing moving through stationary air or for air moving past a stationary wing.
• You can demonstrate this effect with a small piece of paper, about 10x15 cm. Hold the short edge close below your lower lip and blow vigorously across the top of the paper. The motion of the air above the paper will cause it to rise. This same effect helps to lift a plane into the air.

We see a hopeless mess of trivial or nonsensical incorrect physics. U of South Carolina is presented as 

• Faculty generated $218.8 million in funding for research, outreach and training programs in fiscal year 2010. Carolina is one of only 63 public universities listed by the Carnegie Foundation in the highest tier of research institutions in the U.S.