How To: Apply Newton's laws of motion to drag force with NASA

The powerhouse of space exploration, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), sheds light on Newton's laws of motion as pertaining to drag force on aircrafts. This is a great source for any aeronautics major. The infamous government agency breaks drag down for you.

This NASA video segment from "Flight Testing Newton's Laws" explores how Newton's Laws of Motion apply to the drag force on an airplane. Viewers watch an instructor at NASA's National Test Pilot School and learn that the drag force on an airplane in flight is the result of the horizontal momentum of air molecules colliding with the airplane. Viewers also learn that this drag force can be changed by reshaping the airplane, changing the angle of attack, and placing speed brakes on the wings. A demonstration illustrates how the drag force on an object can be determined, while derivations of the drag equation from Newton's second law show how the force can be calculated. Onscreen formulas and calculations represent the forces mathematically.