How do birds use physics?

What are the laws of Physics for birds?

The dynamics of bird flight – like all physical actions – are governed by the laws of physics. In its simplest expression, flying is a balance between two sets of forces. lift and weight, and thrust and drag. Weight is the result of gravity and is reduced as much as possible in birds (see bird wing anatomy ).

What are the mechanics of bird flight?

The mechanics of bird flight revolve around many of the topics we discussed in class, such as Newton’s 3 rd Law, differences in air pressure, resistance, friction and conservation of energy. Birds convert energy stored in their muscles to kinetic energy as they overcome the drag of pushing through air and lifting up to flying height.

How does a bird convert energy into kinetic energy?

Birds convert energy stored in their muscles to kinetic energy as they overcome the drag of pushing through air and lifting up to flying height. We see this energy conversion when the bird flaps its wings up and down.

Why do birds fly with their wings angled?

On the up stroke, the bird angles its wings to decrease the surface area which results in a decrease in air resistance of the air against the bird’s wing. Ultimately that means that the angled wing on the bird’s up stroke, induces a smaller force against the wind so according to Newton’s 3 rd Law,…

What is the force acting on the bird?

The only force acting on the bird (if the bird is not moving too fast) would be the gravitational force from the Earth. This is where I see lots of intro-student mistakes. They tend to want to put some force in the horizontal direction because the bird is moving that way.

What happens to a bird’s kinetic energy when it hits an aircraft?

The energy transfer — or pressure — that results from a bird strike to an aircraft hull can be estimated through relatively simple calculations. Taking the simplest approximation — where the bird is at rest and ‘sticks’ to the aircraft after the collision — the change in a bird’s kinetic energy is

How do birds move in the air?

In addition to the three basic movements described here, birds can do a lot of other things with their wings to allow them to maneuver in the air. Instead of using their tails for flight control, they move their wings forward and backward for balance. To make a turn, they can twist the wings or apply more power on one side.

Why do birds change the shape of their wings?

Birds can change their wing shape, camber (relative thickness of upper and lower wings), angle and even the position of individual feathers to propel themselves in the air and to manoeuvre in pursuit of prey or to escape predators.

Why do birds need to fuse their bones to fly?

There is very little lift, but a lot of thrust produced because thrust is produced on both the fore and backstroke of the wings. Landing is more difficult than taking off and flying and because of the potential shock involved, the process of landing is probably one reason for the fusion of bones in birds.

What are the 4 forces that act on a flying machine?

There are four forces that act on a flying machine in flight, whether bird, bat, insect, or airplane: lift, thrust, drag, and gravity. Thrust must equal drag and lift must equal gravity in straight and level flight. The x-section of a wing (airfoil) resembles a teardrop shape.

What is the energy of a bird falling from a height?

The energy of a 5 kg (11 lb) bird moving at a relative velocity of 275 km/h (171 mph) approximately equals the energy of a 100 kg (220 lb) weight dropped from a height of 15 metres (49 ft). However, according to the FAA only 15% of strikes (ICAO 11%) actually result in damage to the aircraft.

What happens if a bird hits a car at 275 mph?

High-speed impacts, as with jet aircraft, can cause considerable damage and even catastrophic failure to the vehicle. The energy of a 5 kg (11 lb) bird moving at a relative velocity of 275 km/h (171 mph) approximately equals the energy of a 100 kg (220 lb) weight dropped from a height of 15 metres (49 ft).

How do birds fly according to Newton?

Instead birds flap their wings, which pushes a bubble of air (called a vortex) behind them and downwards. Newton’s Third Law of Motion says that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, so that bubble of air pushes the bird up and forwards. If a bird moves the air with enough force to overcome gravity and drag it can fly.

Why do birds fold their wings when not flapping?

It turns out that for smaller birds it is most efficient to use intermittent flight, where they fold their wings when they are not flapping.

How do birds create lift from the wind?

They noticed that birds soared into the wind and that the air flowing over the curved surface of their wings created lift. Birds change the shape of their wings to turn and maneuver.

What bones are fused together in birds?

Breast bones are fused collarbones (furcula or wishbone). Here are some unique features of Birds – Skeletal System. The vertebral sections of the bird’s backbone are fused together to provide the rigidity which is required for them to flight.

How does a bird’s skeleton help it fly?

In some bird species, the skeleton actually weighs less than the bird’s feathers. The hollow, or pneumatic, bones are filled with air, allowing the bird to defy gravity when it flies. Other aspects of a bird’s skeleton also help in flight. For example, the bird has a fused backbone that helps it stay straight…

What are the fundamental forces of flight?

That wraps up this first lesson on the fundamental forces of flight. Next we focus a on the two aerodynamic forces (lift and drag). We will derive three very important non-dimensional qualities; the lift, drag, and pitching moment coefficients which we use to describe the state of an aircraft in flight.

How much damage can a bird cause to a plane?

Most accidents occur when a bird (or birds) collides with the windscreen or is sucked into the engine of jet aircraft. These cause annual damages that have been estimated at $400 million within the United States alone and up to $1.2 billion to commercial aircraft worldwide.

What happens if a bird hits a car windshield?

The energy of the impact increases with the square of the speed difference. Hence a low-speed impact of a small bird on a car windshield causes relatively little damage. High-speed impacts, as with jet aircraft, can cause considerable damage and even catastrophic failure to the vehicle.

What happens if a bird hits a jet engine?

As the bird strikes a fan blade, that blade can be displaced into another blade and so forth, causing a cascading failure. Jet engines are particularly vulnerable during the takeoff phase when the engine is turning at a very high speed and the plane is at a low altitude where birds are more commonly found.

Why do birds have wings that push the air up?

The wings push air down, so by Newton’s third law the air must push them up. Partly, the push comes from the angle the wings are held at and partly from the curvature of the wings. The air travels faster above the bird’s wing than it does below, and this makes the pressure lower above the wing.