Airfoil

Have you ever tried to make a paper airplane or spin a frisbee through the air? You might have noticed that they fly differently, based on their shape. This shape is called an airfoil.

An airfoil is basically a fancy word for a shape that helps to produce lift and reduce drag when something moves through the air, like an airplane wing or a bird's wing. It has a curved upper surface and a flat or slightly curved lower surface.

When air moves over the curved upper surface of an airfoil, it has to travel more distance in the same amount of time as air moving along the flat lower surface. This causes the air to speed up over the curved top of the wing, creating an area of low pressure. Meanwhile, air moving along the flat lower surface slows down, creating an area of higher pressure.

This difference in pressure between the upper and lower surfaces of the airfoil creates an upward force called lift, which helps airplanes, birds, and other flying things stay in the air. The shape of the airfoil also helps to reduce drag, or air resistance, which can slow down an object's forward motion.

So next time you see a bird soaring through the sky or an airplane taking off, you'll know that their airfoils are helping them stay aloft and reach their destination!