A cutaway engine cylinder shows the piston, valves and spark through the four strokes of the cycle. Students change engine speed and spark advance and watch the stroke, cycle angle, cylinder pressure and valve states update.
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Airfoil Lift
About this simulation
This simulation draws the airflow around a cambered wing and lets students tilt it and change the airspeed. A lift arrow can be shown or hidden, and readouts report the lift, the lift coefficient, the lift to drag ratio and the state of the flow. Students see lift grow as the angle of attack increases, then collapse when the wing stalls at around fifteen degrees. It is a good fit for aviation, forces and fluids lessons, and for discussing why wings deflect air downward.
What students can explore
- Raise Angle of attack in small steps and watch Lift and Lift coefficient CL rise.
- Keep going past about 15 degrees and note the Flow readout when the wing stalls.
- Double Airspeed and compare the new Lift with the old one.
- Turn the Lift arrow off and on to see where the force acts on the wing.
- Find the angle that gives the best Lift / drag ratio.
Learning objectives
- 1Describe how a wing produces lift by turning air downward.
- 2Investigate how angle of attack changes the lift coefficient.
- 3Explain what a stall is and when it happens on this wing.
- 4Predict the effect of airspeed on lift.
Questions teachers ask
Is it free to use?
Yes, it is free. It runs in any modern browser, including whiteboards and tablets, with no sign-up or install.
What is angle of attack?
Angle of attack is the angle between the wing and the oncoming air. Increasing it raises lift up to a point, but past roughly 15 degrees on this wing the smooth flow breaks away and lift drops sharply, which is a stall.
Why does a faster airspeed give more lift?
Lift depends on the square of the airspeed. Doubling the speed makes the wing deflect more air each second and with more momentum, so lift becomes about four times as large at the same angle.
How do I use the airfoil simulation?
Drag Angle of attack and Airspeed and watch the streaks and readouts. Use the Lift arrow switch to show or hide the lift force on the wing.
Embed this simulation
Drop it into your LMS, blog, or class site — free.
<iframe src="https://kiwibee.io/en/simulations/airfoil-lift-3d-simulation/embed" title="Airfoil Lift | KiwiBee" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen style="width:100%;height:min(70vh,620px);min-height:420px;border:0;border-radius:16px"></iframe>Continue exploring
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