- Paperback: 152 pages
- Publisher: The MIT Press; 1 edition (May 16 1997)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0262700654
- ISBN-13: 978-0262700658
- Product Dimensions: 25 x 17.6 x 0.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 281 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
-
Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#458,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #18 in Books > Science > Physics > Dynamics > Aerodynamics
- #57 in Books > Professional & Technical > Engineering > Aerospace > Aerodynamics
- #58 in Books > Engineering > Aerospace > Aerodynamics
- See Complete Table of Contents
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
|
There is a newer edition of this item:
|
Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
An eminently practical example of how human engineering can be informed by the billions of years of biological structural evolution.
From the smallest gnat to the largest aircraft, all things that fly obey the same aerodynamic principles. This book offers an introduction to the mechanics of flight and, beyond that, to the scientific attitude that finds wonder in simple calculations and forges connections between, say, the energy efficiency of a peanut butter sandwich that fuels your body and that of the kerosene that fuels a jumbo jet. It is the product of a lifetime of watching and investigating flight by an always wise and often witty scientist and writer. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"[I]nsights to delight both biologists and aircraft designers alike. . . . both informative and fun."
—Mick Hamer, New Scientist
—Mick Hamer, New Scientist
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
I finally understood aircraft !,
By Anton Broenink (Rotterdam, Holland) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Simple Science of Flight: From Insects to Jumbo Jets (Paperback)
It's a pity that Tennekes moved to the USA, State College, Pennsylvania. If he had stayed in Holland and become a professor in Delft, graduating in aerospace engineering would have been much easier for me. This guy loves aircraft more than mathematics ! The best place to read this book is during a long trip on a 747
5.0 out of 5 stars
An exciting book about how things fly,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Simple Science of Flight: From Insects to Jumbo Jets (Paperback)
This a fascinating look at how things fly. Insects, birds and airplanes all obey the same aerodynamic principles. With a few simple equations and copious examples the author explains lift, drag, wing loading, cruising speed and other aerodynamic concepts.His descriptions of how birds fly, how much energy their flight requires and how they meet the challenge is as exciting as any adventure story. We learn that the pectoral muscles of birds can metabolize fats directly(Human muscles burn sugars which the liver must first convert from fat). But flying is hard work. After 12 hours of cruising a migrating swan will clock 650 miles and lose more than a kilogram of body weight. Thus the importance of bird sanctuaries. Migrating birds must feed to continue their journies. Moving on to airplanes we learn that the Concorde uses 70 tons of kerosene to cross the ocean carrying 100 passengers. The 747 uses the same amount of fuel but carries 350 people and 30 tons of freight. This book explains why. This book is filled with fascinating facts about flight, but charts, tables and illustrations tie them all together. There are a few equations but they are there to enlighten. The author doesn't overwhelm you with mathematics. This book is a must read.
5.0 out of 5 stars
How Very Simple Math Can Tell Us So Much,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Simple Science of Flight: From Insects to Jumbo Jets (Paperback)
This little book (130 pages) using just 3 or 4 very simple algebraic equations tells the story behind the fundmental designs of insects, birds, kites, ..., jumbo jets. So why should anyone cares? Because flight is mysterious, fascinating, and obviously complicated - for birds as well as for the jets. Yet, all the flights are related and dictated by a few very simple formulas. In less than 4 pages, this book will tell you why Boeing 747 is the most successful aircraft ever produced, why it MUST weight about 350 tons, why it MUST cruise at 560 mph at 40,000 feet, why the size of the 747 is out of the control of the Boeing engineers (even though they might not think so). Why a 350-ton 747 can make tons of money for its owner, but not a future 1,000-ton ultra-jumbo. It is incredible that how some simple math can tell us so much about such an esoteric and complicated subject. If your kids (or little brothers/sisters) ever ask you about why bother learning math, tell them the stories from this book. We need more teachers like Professor Tennekes to make us enjoy and appreciate all that math we struggled with in high school - which many many people will probably never find any use in real life!There is just one thing I found a little puzzling about this book. Professor Tennekes does not once mention the Bernoulli's effect. His simple but powerful equations have airspeed as the key paramter in all winged flights, but not the relative difference of air speed above the wing and below the wing, which according to Bernoulli, as taught in our high school physics, is what generates the lifting force. Could there be more than just the Bernoulli's effect invovled here?
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Engineering > Aerospace > Aerodynamics
- Books > Nonfiction > Transportation > Aviation
- Books > Professional & Technical > Engineering > Aerospace > Aerodynamics
- Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Physics
- Books > Science > Astronomy > Aeronautics & Astronautics
- Books > Science > History & Philosophy
- Books > Science > Mathematics
- Books > Science > Physics > Dynamics > Aerodynamics
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
