Re: OT Wind power car moves faster than the wind -- DOWN WIND
- From: "Technobarbarian" <Technobarbarian-ztopzpam@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2010 14:52:11 -0700
"NotMe" <me@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:hubpom$3ck$2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2010/06/downwind-faster-than-the-wind/
"Rick Cavallaro and his friends have built a wind-powered vehicle that travels downwind faster than the wind, solving a riddle that can start fights.
The unusual wind-powered car hit a top speed 2.86 times faster than the wind during one recent run, a feat that - depending upon your perspective - is either the result of hard work or the same voodoo responsible for Ryan Seacrest's hair.
The counterintuitive idea that you can travel downwind faster than the wind is casus belli for aerodynamic arguments from internet forums to college classrooms. The concept known as DWFTTW can cause world-renowned physicists to throw their Nobel Prizes in fits of rage."
Kewl, I guess, but the person who wrote this article is an idiot.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_sailing
"Land sailing, also known as sand yachting or land yachting, is the act of moving across land in a wheeled vehicle powered by wind through the use of a sail. The term comes from analogy with (water) sailing. Historically, land sailing was used as a mode of transportation or recreation. Since the 1950s it has evolved primarily into a racing sport.
Vehicles used in sailing are known as sail wagons, sand yachts, or land yachts. They are typically three-wheeled vehicles that function much like a sailboat, except that they are operated from a sitting or lying position and steered by pedals or hand levers. Land sailing works best in windy, flat areas, and races often take place on beaches, air fields, and dry lake beds in desert regions. Modern land sailors, generally known as "pilots," can go three to four times faster than the wind speed, because of Bernoulli's principle."
"The world land speed record for a wind powered vehicle was broken on 26 March 2009 by Richard Jenkins in his yacht Greenbird with a speed of 126.1 mph (202.9 km/h).[2] Wind speeds were fluctuating between 30-50 mph (48-80 km/h) at that time.[3][4]
The previous record of 116 mph was set by American Bob Schumacher on March 20, 1999 driving his Iron Duck vehicle. Both records were set on Ivanpah Dry Lake near Primm, Nevada, USA."
TB
.
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