A 787 jumbo jet has a wingspan of 197 feet (60 meters), weighs about 502,000 pounds (227,700 kg), and flies at around 650 mph (1,050 km/h). A butterfly measures just inches across and weighs under an ounce (no more than a few grams). But to fly, they both must balance the same four basic forces. Here's how this important flying formula works.
1. Weight
Weight is the downward force from gravity that holds you down-whether you're flying or not. For an airplane, its "all-up" weight includes its own weight, the weight of fuel and supplies, and the weight of passengers and cargo, called the payload. Balloons are "lighter than air." They float when the air or gas inside of them weighs less than the air outside. So, a force called buoyancy lifts them upward. But heavier-than-air objects that fly must counteract weight using a second flying force.
2. Lift
Esta historia es de la edición November/December 2023 de Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
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Esta historia es de la edición November/December 2023 de Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
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Who's Your Cousin?
The great apes are among the most popular animals in most zoos. Their actions, facial expressions, and family life remind us so much of ourselves. Have you ever wondered, though, how we might look to them?
Is it possible to die of boredom?
To figure out if we can die of boredom, we first have to understand what boredom is. For help, we called James Danckert, a psychologist who studies boredom at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
THE PROBLEM WITH PALM OIL
Palm oil is all around you. It’s in sugary snacks like cookies and candy bars. It’s in lipstick and shampoo and pet food.
SERGE WICH
Serge Wich’s favorite days at work are spent out in the forest, studying orangutans in Sumatra and Borneo or chimpanzees in Tanzania.
ELODIE FREYMANN
When you’re feeling sick, it probably doesn’t occur to you to try eating tree bark.
Guardians of the Forest
EARLY, MAKESHIFT WILDLIFE DRONES HELPED TO DETECT AND PROTECT ORANGUTANS.
APE ANTICS
The Whirling World of primate play
Dr. Ape Will See You Now
HUMANS AREN’T THE ONLY PRIMATES THAT USE MEDICATION.
THE LEFT OVERS
A lot has happened for modern humans to get to this point. We lost most of our hair, learned how to make tools, established civilizations, sent a person to the Moon, and invented artificial intelligence. Whew! With all of these changes, our bodies have changed, too. It’s only taken us about six million years.
SO, WHAT IS A PRIMATE?
What do you have in common with the aye-aye, sifaka, siamang, and potto? If you said your collarbone, you re probably a primatologist—a person who studies primates. If you’re not, read on.
