Fluid Mechanics in Sports

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary and concepts related to fluid mechanics as it applies to sports, focusing on the forces and environmental conditions that affect the motion of objects through fluids.

Buoyancy

The upward force exerted by a fluid, which opposes the weight of an object immersed in it.

Lift

The force generated by the difference in pressure on either side of an object moving through a fluid.

Drag

The force that opposes the motion of an object through a fluid.

Bernoulli's Principle

As the speed of a fluid increases, its pressure decreases, and vice versa.

Angle of Attack

The angle between the chord line of an airfoil and the direction of the oncoming air.

Surface Drag

Frictional resistance faced by an object as it moves through a fluid, affected by the object's surface texture.

Form Drag

Resistance caused by the shape and frontal area of an object moving through a fluid.

Wave Drag

Resistance caused by the formation of waves when an object moves through water.

Relative Velocity

The velocity of an object in relation to the fluid it is moving through.

Environmental Conditions

Factors such as temperature, altitude, and humidity that can affect the performance of objects in fluid dynamics.

Magnus Effect

The phenomenon where a spinning object curves away from its principal flight path due to pressure differences in the fluid.

Air Pressure

The force exerted onto a surface by the weight of the air above that surface in the atmosphere.

Humidity

The amount of moisture in the air, which affects the density of air and the drag on projectiles.

Projectile Motion

The motion of an object that is thrown into the air, influenced by gravity and air resistance.

Frontal Area

The area of an object facing the direction of motion, which directly affects drag.

Velocity of Object

The speed and direction of an object relative to a fluid.

Density of Fluid

Mass per unit volume of a fluid, which influences buoyancy and drag forces.

Controlled Variables

Factors in an experiment that are kept constant to ensure that the results are reliable.

Inversely Proportional

A relationship in which one variable increases as the other decreases.

Friction

The resistance that one surface or object encounters when moving over another.