The Aerodynamics of Frisbee Flight

by Kathleen Baumback

Submitted : Fall 2010

This project will describe the physics of a common Frisbee in flight. The aerodynamic forces acting on the Frisbee are lift and drag, with lift being explained by Bernoulli’s equation and drag by the Prandtl relationship. Using V.R. Morrison’s model for the 2-dimensional trajectory of a Frisbee, equations for the x- and y- components of the Frisbee’s motion were written in Microsoft Excel, and the path of the Frisbee was illustrated. Variables such as angle of attack, area, and attack velocity were altered to see their effect on the Frisbee’s path and to speculate on ways to achieve maximum distance and height.

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