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How do birds fly? And how is chemistry involved?!
Birds fly all the time. We see it constantly. But how does it actually work? Is it just "Bernoulli’s" principle? Is the air pushing up? Are the wings pushing down? And what’s happening at the molecular level when a bird takes off? Let’s talk about feathers, airflow, collisions between air molecules, and why the way flight is usually explained might not actually be the whole story.
Support this podcast on Patreon
Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
Watch our episodes on YouTube
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife
Timestamps:
Have you ever actually wondered how birds fly? A kid’s question sparks the episode.
Why a chemistry podcast is talking about aerodynamics.
Melissa explains why common explanations of bird flight can be misleading.
What does oobleck (cornstarch and water) have to do with bird wings?
Thinking about air as billions of tiny molecules interacting with wings.
Bernoulli’s principle and why it’s often used to explain flight.
What’s missing from the “air moves faster over the top” idea.
What air molecules are actually doing when a wing moves through them.
Why deflecting air matters for creating lift.
How airfoil shape and angle of attack change the behavior of airflow.
Why bird flight isn’t the same as airplane flight.
What’s happening behind the wing as the bird moves through the air.
How thinking about molecular motion helps make sense of the physics.
So… what actually keeps birds in the air?
Support this podcast on Patreon
Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
Watch our episodes on YouTube
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife
References from the Episode:
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Support this podcast on Patreon
Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
Watch our episodes on YouTube
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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By Melissa and Jam, Bleav
4.6
294294 ratings
Birds fly all the time. We see it constantly. But how does it actually work? Is it just "Bernoulli’s" principle? Is the air pushing up? Are the wings pushing down? And what’s happening at the molecular level when a bird takes off? Let’s talk about feathers, airflow, collisions between air molecules, and why the way flight is usually explained might not actually be the whole story.
Support this podcast on Patreon
Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
Watch our episodes on YouTube
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife
Timestamps:
Have you ever actually wondered how birds fly? A kid’s question sparks the episode.
Why a chemistry podcast is talking about aerodynamics.
Melissa explains why common explanations of bird flight can be misleading.
What does oobleck (cornstarch and water) have to do with bird wings?
Thinking about air as billions of tiny molecules interacting with wings.
Bernoulli’s principle and why it’s often used to explain flight.
What’s missing from the “air moves faster over the top” idea.
What air molecules are actually doing when a wing moves through them.
Why deflecting air matters for creating lift.
How airfoil shape and angle of attack change the behavior of airflow.
Why bird flight isn’t the same as airplane flight.
What’s happening behind the wing as the bird moves through the air.
How thinking about molecular motion helps make sense of the physics.
So… what actually keeps birds in the air?
Support this podcast on Patreon
Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
Watch our episodes on YouTube
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife
References from the Episode:
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Support this podcast on Patreon
Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
Watch our episodes on YouTube
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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