morse@leadsv.UUCP (Terry Morse) (08/26/85)
I thought I might say something on the way that bumblebees do fly, since
the subject has come up. I will try to not use technical jargon.
There are two major forces acting on any wing. The pressure forces, caused
by the inertia of the air, and the viscous forces, caused by the
"stickiness" of the air to itself and all it touches.
If a body is small, or if a body is moving slowly, the viscous forces
become large with respect to the pressure forces. A bee is small and moves
slowly, therefore it must contend with high viscosity. One can compare the
flight of a bee to a person treading water. When a person treads water (a
viscous fluid), he waves his arms from front to back rather than flapping
them. This is the same way a bee "waves" its wings.
Bees still have the problem of moving a blunt, fat body through the air.
They accomplish this with the penalty that they are quite clumsy. Not the
ideal design, but a sufficient design that gets the job done. Without their
hiving behavior, they probably would never have survived.
Please be assured that by I have used the word "design" very loosely. I am
not implying the intervention of a designer. I read this group for
entertainment only.
--
Terry Morse (408)743-1487
{ seismo!nsc!cae780 } | { sun!sunncal } !leadsv!morse