SS Connection

The Wright Brothers

It is unlikely that the Wright brothers physically wrote down the effects Bernoulli’s principle on paper, and calculated it’s effect on the plane. However it was essential to the construction of successful airplanes, airplanes use Bernoulli’s

principle in the shape of their wings. Bernoulli’s Principle says that a fast moving fluid (such as air) exerts less pressure than the same fluid when moving slowly. This observation alone explains how an airplane generates lift. The wing is shaped in such a way that the air above the wing must move faster than the air below the wing: Therefore the force on top of the wing is less than the force on the bottom of the wing. Hence, the resultant force is a net force in the upward direction called lift.

Bernoulli's Work

Bernoulli's most prominent work was called: "Hydrodynamica" which was the theory of the behavior in liquids. Bernoullis principle has remained the general principle of hydrodynamics and aerodynamics even today and is the basis of modern aviation. He was also known for one of the youngest writers. Bernoulli devised the kinetic theory of gases and used the idea to explain Boyle’s law. He also worked on elasticity. Another important aspect of Daniel Bernoulli's work that proved important in the development of mathematical physics was his acceptance of many of Newton's theories. Daniel worked on mechanics and used the principle of conservation of energy which gave an integral of Newton's basic equations.

The path of Discovery

Bernoulli finished his medical studies at age 21. After he had completed his medical studies, he got a job in the position where he could still study the way in which fluids move. This subject also interested his father and the great Isaac Newton. After discovering how to measure blood pressure, Bernoulli came back to his earlier work on Conservation Energy. It is known that a moving body exchanges its kinetic energy for potential energy when it gains height. Daniel realized that in a similar way, a moving fluid exchanges its kinetic energy for pressure. This is how Daniel Bernoulli came up with the Bernoulli principle and equation.