ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Slipstream

Hey kiddo, do you know when you ride your bike really fast and you feel the wind pushing against you? Well, sometimes, when big things like cars and airplanes go really fast, they create something called slipstream.

Now, slipstream is kind of like an invisible bubble of air that follows behind a fast-moving object. And if you're riding your bike really close behind that object, you might notice that the wind pushing against you is actually a lot weaker!

That's because the air inside the slipstream is moving slower than the air outside of it. So when you ride inside the slipstream, you can avoid some of the resistance created by the wind and ride a little bit faster.

This slipstream effect is used in a lot of sports, like cycling and car racing, to help athletes go faster. And even pilots use it when they're flying long distances, because it can save them a lot of fuel!

So that's slipstream in a nutshell, kiddo: it's an invisible bubble of air that follows behind something that's moving really fast, and it can help you go faster if you ride or fly inside of it. Cool, huh?
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