MadSci Network: Physics
Query:

Re: If the temp. of an airplane's wing upper sfc. were reduced - more lift?

Date: Tue Jan 21 17:00:22 2003
Posted By: Stephen Murray, Physicist
Area of science: Physics
ID: 1043102299.Ph
Message:

Hi Josh,

Surface tension is a characteristic only of a liquid, not of a gas such as air, and so there can be no affect in that regard.

The lift of an airfoil is determined primarily by its shape, and by the density and humidity of the air around it. The less dense the air, the lower the lift an airfoil can produce. Water vapor has lower density than air, and so humid air produces less lift. The same is true for hot air, or air at high elevations.

As air flows over the wing of an airplane, the temperature of the wing would have little chance to affect the properties of the air. As a result, the temperature of the wing itself should have little or no effect upon the lift produced by the wing.


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