National Museums Scotland and Institute for the Study of Science,
Technology and Innovation, the University of Edinburgh
UNDERSTANDING TECHNOLOGY
Public lecture
Thursday 18 September 2008, 3:00 pm
Professor David Bloor (Edinburgh University):
"How Does an Aircraft Wing Work? British Physicists versus German
Engineers: 1909-1926"
Sustained and controlled powered flight was well established by about
1910, but the practical mastery of flight was not accompanied by a
clear, theoretical understanding of how aeroplanes worked. For example,
it was not clear how a wing produced lift. In the early years of
aviation there were two very different theories under discussion. One
was called theory of discontinuous flow, the other was called the theory
of circulatory flow. The discontinuity theory was supported by British
physicists; the circulatory theory was supported by German engineers. It
turned out that the Germans were right and the British were wrong. The
British fought a rearguard action argument against the correct
explanation which lasted till the 1920s. Professor Bloor's aim in the
lecture is to describe the two theories, identify the people involved
and explain the source of the British resistance.
Dunfermline Room, National Museums Scotland
Admission free
Please register with Maureen Kerr on 0131 247 4274 or [log in to unmask]
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