Which of the following physical principles explains the hydrodynamic lift experienced by an airplane wing in flight?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Bernoulli's principle states that an increase in the speed of a fluid occurs simultaneously with a decrease in static pressure or a decrease in the fluid's potential energy. Airplane wings are shaped as airfoils so that air travels faster over the upper surface than beneath the lower surface, creating a pressure differential that generates upward lift. Archimedes' principle governs buoyancy in static fluids rather than aerodynamic lift.