- Paperback: 152 pages
- Publisher: MIT Press; New edition edition (10 Sep 1997)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0262700654
- ISBN-13: 978-0262700658
- Product Dimensions: 25 x 17.6 x 0.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 926,639 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
|
There is a newer edition of this item:
|
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
From the smallest gnat to the largest aircraft, all things that fly obey the same aerodynamic principles. "The Simple Science of Flight" offers an introduction to the mechanics of flight and, beyond that, to the scientific attitude that finds wonder in simple calculations, forging connections between, say, the energy efficiency of a peanut butter sandwich and that of the kerosene that fuels a jumbo jet. The hero of the book is the Boeing 747, which Tennekes sees as the current pinnacle of human ingenuity in mastering the science of flight. Also covered are paper airplanes, kites, gliders, and human-powered flying machines as well as birds and insects. Tennekes explains difficult concepts like lift, drag, wing loading and cruising speed through many fascinating comparisons, anecdotes and examples. Equations are integrated into the flow of the text. Tennekes begins with a simple comparison of the relative fuel consumption of hummingbirds cars, and airplanes, then turns to the relations between an airplane weight, its wing area and its cruising speed, showing that it is possible to collect all flying creatures and flying machines in a single flight diagram. He looks at energetics through the considerable efforts of a little 35-gram bird in a wind tunnel. There are stories on the effects of headwinds, tailwinds, and other weather conditions that both birds and planes face, on the elegance of the mechanics that makes flight possible, and on the aerodynamics of sophisticated flying toys. Tennekes concludes by comparing the Boeing 747 and the supersonic Concorde, with the former emerging as the perfect airplane for intercontinental flights: "just below the speed of sound and just above the weather".
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 organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format: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.
Format:Paperback
If you're looking for a good introductory book on how things fly then this is the book for you. I bought it for its thorough coverage of bird flight and I've cherished it ever since. Henk Tennekes has an easy way with words and introduces concepts in a fashion that you won't easily forget. The book starts with a few simple rules and then slowly builds up to more complex phenomenon. There are some equations involved, but, with the ever present guiding hand of the author, even I found them easy to understand.
You will learn all about wing loadings, about frictional and induced drag, about how wing shapes affect flight, in fact you get a thorough grounding in most things. The figures and tables throughout this book are also excellent and help to explain the text. Personally, I was taken by the authors description of a wagtail crossing the Sahara. I just love the way he manages to go through the figures to come to the conclusion that it has 1250 miles worth of fuel for a 1000 mile trip. There are numerous other gems in this book to keep you interested and for the price you can't go wrong.
You will learn all about wing loadings, about frictional and induced drag, about how wing shapes affect flight, in fact you get a thorough grounding in most things. The figures and tables throughout this book are also excellent and help to explain the text. Personally, I was taken by the authors description of a wagtail crossing the Sahara. I just love the way he manages to go through the figures to come to the conclusion that it has 1250 miles worth of fuel for a 1000 mile trip. There are numerous other gems in this book to keep you interested and for the price you can't go wrong.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
10 reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
An exciting book about how things fly
27 Jun 1999
Format: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 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Fun and instructive
8 Nov 2004
Format:Paperback
This delightful little book is an introduction to some major aspects of flight. Not all of them. There isn't much on strength of materials, for example. This book concentrates on the fundamental issues of how much power it takes to fly and what size a flying machine ought to be to make optimal use of its power. What makes the book so much fun is the inclusion of flight characteristics of birds and insects.
Tennekes starts with a chart of weight versus cruising speed for the insects, birds, and planes. Next, he discusses wing sizes. Then fuel consumption, strategies for takeoffs and landings, and gliding.
The author concludes with some praise for the design of the Boeing 747. All commercial passenger planes are best off flying as fast as possible without getting too near the speed of sound, so Mach 0.9 is best. These planes are best off flying high enough to take advantage of the cooler air and good weather: a height of 10 kilometers is ideal. To match the cruising speed with the optimal wing loading at that height, one gets an airplane which is roughly the size and shape of a Boeing 747.
I highly recommend this book.
Tennekes starts with a chart of weight versus cruising speed for the insects, birds, and planes. Next, he discusses wing sizes. Then fuel consumption, strategies for takeoffs and landings, and gliding.
The author concludes with some praise for the design of the Boeing 747. All commercial passenger planes are best off flying as fast as possible without getting too near the speed of sound, so Mach 0.9 is best. These planes are best off flying high enough to take advantage of the cooler air and good weather: a height of 10 kilometers is ideal. To match the cruising speed with the optimal wing loading at that height, one gets an airplane which is roughly the size and shape of a Boeing 747.
I highly recommend this book.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
More comprehensible? Impossible.
18 Mar 2005
Format:Paperback
Since years I love the aviation, only for curiosity I bought this book, and in one morning I've enjoyed too much and learnt a lot about aerodynamics, fuel consumption, the migration of birds(really interesting), the forces in skating! etc. It is a book with of 120 pages really educative and comprenhensible, all questions I made in my mind reading the book were answered a few pages ahead. If you are interested in planes, want to know how simple they fly, even loose the fear, and learn all this in easy way and learn about more things you never thought in relation with planes, this is your book. Is any commision for me??hahaha.
Enjoy it.
Enjoy it.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Reference > Transport > Aviation > Commercial
- Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Aeronautics & Aerospace > Astronautics
- Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Civil Engineering > Mechanics
- Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Engineering Physics
- Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Mechanical & Materials Engineering > Aerodynamics
- Books > Science & Nature > Physics > Mechanics
- Books > Science & Nature > Popular Science > Physics
- Books > Scientific, Technical & Medical
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
