Bartol Hosi

Mr. Williams

Physics

January 01, 2022

Criterion D Essay (Newton’s Three Laws in Transportation)

Transportation is crucial to the modern world, people nowadays travel more then ever

before, the main reason for this is because of the introduction of di erent menthols of

transportation that increased the speed a t which we are able to travel from one place to another.

One such example was the invention of aircraft’s, aircraft’s allowed humans to travel at height

speed, without tra c, and with maximum security. However, the new method of transportation

also brought a whole new list of di culties and problems that orbit around it. But have you ever

known why aircraft’s are able to stay in the sky and y, in contrast to children apping their arms;

this is where the physics come in, more speci cally the three Newton’s Laws of physics.

Before discussing physics, it is important to note the forces

that act on an aircraft while in air, these forces include wight, Lift,

Thrust, and Drag. (Fig. 1) Newton’s rst law of motion implies that if

the thrust and drag are equal, meaning that the net force is

equivalent to 0, the aircraft will stay at a constant acceleration. And

Fig. 1(forces acting on the aircraft)
when thrust increases the aircraft celebrates, and when drag

equals to the thrust again the aircraft will no longer accelerate however it will hold the new

airspeed. From the second law of motion (F=ma), when the aircraft is cruising we know that all of

the forces cancel each other out, since the airplane is not accelerating or changing altitude,

therefore: Thrust + List = Weight + Drag. Furthermore, it is clear that when a is equivalent to 0, so

if F. This will not change till another force acts upon it, or if unbalance happens, which happens

while the aircraft is descending or ascending.

The third Newton’s law states: “how for every action, there is an equal and opposite

reaction”, it is because of this that allows aircrafts to glide through the slide. When an aircraft is in

the sky, there is a force that is propelling the aircraft

forward (thrust), however by the aircraft pushing

forward the wind is pushing with the equal force

Fig. 2 (air acting on a 45 degree angled wing) back at the airplane. The carefully designed wings
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 allow the aircraft to get maximum to be listed by the wings, as the wings are titled at a 45 degree

angle1. The angle then pushes the air downwards with provides lift to the aircraft, which then

serves the purpose of stabilizing the net force between the lift and weight force of the aircraft,

keeping it in the sky. The design of the wings also takes in consideration the air pressure,

according to Bernoulli’s principle2. It stats that the faster the air moves the less pressure it exerts,

which in this case is seen when the air circulates

around the wing. Since air usually moves smoothly,

however when the wing slices through the air the, the

ow is disturb, which results in the air ow speeding

up on the top of the wing, while the air ow on the

Fig. 3 (air ow around the wing)
bottom stays the same. (Fig. 3) Since the air on the

top has less pressure on the wing then the air on the bottom, the aircraft gains more lift, also

helping to keep the net force 0 while cruising. Allowing the aircraft to slice through the sky.

Traveling through air is considered to be one of the most e cient ways, as it is not

obstructed by other elements (buildings, roads, mountains, etc), which makes it one of the most

e cient ways of transportation. This type also plays a positive role in the environmental side, as it

prevents the transformation of parts of nature, and does not require a railway or road in order to

reach the nal destination, therefore it prevents the transformation of natural land. While traveling

longs distances, there might be a need of an layover, this would have been more complicated if it

where other forms of transport require one to enter the country in order to pass through it. These

rules do not apply to air transport, as even if one needs to transfer ight, and needs to stay on the

airport, you are still not entering the country. This helps to increase the reliability and e ciency of

the method.

However air transportation also has its negative. The rst thing that pops up in our minds

are the prices for seats, and especially cargo if you wish to transport it on the aircraft. It also has a

variety of negative aspects toward the environment, one of which includes the huge CO2 which

can be harmful and can increase the speeds of global warming. Due to the wide spread concern,

many organizations have started to move away from the classical engine, and try to nd a more

1Pūtaiao, Pokapū Akoranga. “Wings and Lift.” Science Learning Hub, 21 Sept. 2011, https://
www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/300-wings-and-lift, accessed 2 Jan. 2023.
2 “Bernoulli’s Principle - NASA.” Principles of Flight , NASA, https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/
les/atoms/ les/bernoulli_principle_k-4.pdf, accessed 2 Jan. 2023.
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 clean energy source for aircraft’s. Critics doubt that the information provided by companies is

trust worthy and reliable, as Dimitri Simos, director at Lissys Limited states how “If you go from

Heathrow to Athens, ICAO gives 217 kilograms (kg) of CO2. That hides huge variations - y in a

full (Boeing) B767 and it’s nearer to 160 kg per person, or y in a half-empty (Airbus) A340 and it’s

more like 360 kg.” showing us how the greenhouse gas emotions can vary di erent depending on

outside forces. These critics also state how ghting climate change has only be an illusion, as no

real evidence that can be trusted is gathered.

It is fascinating how much physics go into lifting the plane from the ground, keeping it

ying and then landing it back. The importance of physics is clear throughout the whole design,

from the overall s elation of the plane, to the angle that the winged are tilled. Overall, the invention

of aircraft’s and air travel and greatly bene ted the community, as it is helping to achieve the new

normal for community, which is to have everything instantly or as fast as possible. Even though

the invention has its set backs, there is still enough space that allows improvements to change

the way it functions while also keeping it e cient and clean. It might not happen soon, but it

should happen sooner rather then later. Therefore I believe that air transportation is not at its best

yet, it is still trying to get there.

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 Citations:

"Air pollution." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 20 Oct. 2020. school.eb.co.uk/levels/

advanced/article/air-pollution/471713. Accessed 4 Jan. 2023.

“Bernoulli’s Principle - NASA.” Principles of Flight , NASA, https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/

les/atoms/ les/bernoulli_principle_k-4.pdf, accessed 2 Jan. 2023.

“Four Forces on an Airplane - Glenn Research Center.” NASA, NASA, 21 July 2022, https://
www1.grc.nasa.gov/beginners-guide-to-aeronautics/four-forces-on-an-airplane/ Accessed 4 Jan.
2023.

“How Planes Fly.” Let's Talk Science, 7 Dec. 2021, https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-

resources/backgrounders/how-planes- y Accessed 4 Jan. 2023.

Pūtaiao, Pokapū Akoranga. “Wings and Lift.” Science Learning Hub, 21 Sept. 2011, https://
www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/300-wings-and-lift, accessed 2 Jan. 2023.

Wynn, Gerard. “Critics Says Air Travel Carbon O setting Too Crude.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters,
21 Aug. 2008, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-o set-idUSLK20281120080821
Accessed 4 Jan. 2023.
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