12.5. Bernoulli’s Law http://www.ck12.org
12.5 Bernoulli’s Law
Objective
The student will:
- Understand Bernoulli’s principle and be able to discuss its implications.
Vocabulary
- Bernoulli’s Principle: A key principle connecting velocity and air. At those points in space where the
velocity of a fluid is high, the pressure is low. At those points in space where the velocity of a fluid is low, the
pressure is high.
Introduction
Flying has always been one of the great goals of human engineering. The key question is, what moves the force
upward on an airplane wing? We can measure air speed and show that the shape of a wing makes the air go faster
over the top of the wing than below the wing. How does this create lift, though?
FIGURE 12.16
A key principle connecting velocity and air was expressed by the Swiss mathematician Daniel Bernoulli (1700-
1782). Bernoullo’s Principlestates:
At those points in space where the velocity of a fluid is high, the pressure is low. At those points in space
where the velocity of a fluid is low, the pressure is high.The mathematical equation that Bernoulli derived based on this principle is stated below.