Power Needed to Generate Lift

by Kirsten Bendik

Submitted : Fall 2017

Calculus can be used in countless ways to solve the problems that arise in aviation, ranging from calculating the optimal flight path for different airplanes to the most basic and crucial assessment of the forces that act against them in everyday flight. This project uses basic physics and calculus to determine the amount of power that a small engine aircraft would need to generate lift and maintain consistent, level flight. Using Newton's second and third laws of motion, basic formulas were derived to calculate the downward speed of the air diverted by a Cessna 172 wing. This equation was then used with the basic equation for kinetic energy to calculate the approximate power needed by the airplane to produce lift.  

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