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Left side image map with list of links located at bottom of page Link to Foil Sim General Information and Free Java Software Link to Aeronauts 2000 Link to Engine Sim Problem Sets Link to Propulsion General Information and Free Java Software Link to Aerodynamics Problem Sets Link to Propulsion General Information and Free Java Software Link to Foil Sim Problem Sets Link to ModelRocketSim Link to Wind Tunnel Web Pages Link to Aeronautics Lessons and Activities Link to Engine Sim General Information and Free Java Software Link to Videoconferences with the U.K. Link to Aerodynamics General Information and Free Java Software Link to Free Software Link to Beginner's Guide to Aeronautics Newton's Third Law and Airplanes Answers

  1. What is the action - reaction pair of forces acting on the airfoil as indicated by the arrows? foil deflected upward and flow deflected downward

  2. The weight force is the product of the mass multiplied by the acceleration due to gravity. If a DC-10 commercial passenger jet weighs 200,000 kilograms and gravity is 9.80 m/s2, calculate the weight force: 1.96 x 106 N.
  3. If the DC-10 in the previous question is flying at a constant altitude so that the action- reaction forces are balanced, what is the lift force acting on the jet? 1.96 x 106 N

  4. As the jet in the above question travels at constant velocity, it burns fuel, which decreases its weight to 165,454 kg, a safe weight for landing. In response to this decrease, what is the new lift force acting on the jet when altitude is maintained? 1.62 x 106 N

  5. In a department store, a large fan blows upward, keeping a beach ball at a constant height above it. What exerts the action force on the beach ball? air blown upward by fan

  6. In the example above, what is the reaction force on the beach ball? weight force exerted downward

  7. If the beach ball above weighs 280 grams, what are the magnitude and direction of the action force on the beach ball? 2.7 N upward

  8. When the fan blowing on the beach ball above is turned off, how do the action and reaction forces compare? unbalanced; there is no longer a blowing force, just a weight force

  9. Once the beach ball has landed on the ground, what exerts the action force? the ground pushes up
    the reaction force? the ball pushes down

 
Please send any comments to:
Curator: Tom.Benson@grc.nasa.gov
Responsible Official: Kathy.Zona@grc.nasa.gov