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Q:
Which one will reduce aerodynamics more, pressure drag or friction drag?
A:
This depends on the shape of the object. The more streamlined it is, the less pressure drag it will experience, but it will be held back more by friction drag.
The less streamlined, or elongated, an object is, the more turbulent wake it will create, and thus it will have more pressure drag. As we streamline the shape, this wake shrinks, and less pressure drag is present. However, this means we are adding more surface area, which means more friction drag. This means the object needs to be streamlined and small so as to keep flyign with less drag holding it back.
Posted on September 22, 2014 at 1:25 am
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