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On reflection the 'angle of attack' seems improbable. :-)

As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."
by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Wed Mar 27th, 2013 at 02:44:57 PM EST
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I just reviewed my basic aerodynamics.

Reynolds number is the ratio of inertial forces to viscous forces

Laminar flow has a Reynolds number below 2000

Turbulent flow usually is somewhere above that because thtere is a transition state, it is not exactly at 2000

The Coefficient of Lift is defined as the lift force over the inertial forces so if the inertial forces are high (as in turbulent flow), the Coefficient of Lift is larger

The Coefficient of Drag on the other hand, is defned as the forces of drag over the viscous forces, so a lower Reynolds number (in laminar flow) would have more viscous forces and a higher Coefficient of Drag.

Therefore, turbulent flow should provide a more efficient ratio of Lift to Drag.

by stevesim on Wed Mar 27th, 2013 at 03:16:15 PM EST
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