Area Under A Curve Answers

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Answers will vary. Actual answers will depend upon the altitudes chosen by the students. With all students' answers, a trend should emerge.

Students should note that the basic shape seems to be retained in the Airfoil Plotter View Panel. However, the pressure values shown along the y-axis change as the altitude is altered. Therefore, if the five views are sketched on the same piece of graph paper, each basic shape should become "thinner." The resulting area of the basic shape should decrease as the altitude is increased, i.e., the pressure decreases as the altitude increases. As the altitude increases, the density of the air decreases and the drag on the airfoil is lessened. Thus the pressure above the wing and the pressure below the wing work together more easily in keeping the airfoil moving through the air.