Many people think that it is impossible for a wind-powered vehicle to travel directly downwind faster than the wind itself. However it has been done and a careful analysis of the forces (using Newton’s third law of motion) and transfer of energy shows how it works.
Could you design a wind-powered vehicle that can travel directly downwind faster than the wind itself? If you think that this is completely impossible, many people, including some professional physicists, would agree with you. It appears to defy the laws of physics, in that you need to amplify the power of the wind, but where does the extra energy come from? The fact that it has been done does not change everybody’s mind about its impossibility, and many sceptics remain.
Your organisation does not have access to this article.
Sign up today to give your students the edge they need to achieve their best grades with subject expertise
Subscribe
