Faster than wind Downwind travel

[Wubbly]

A propeller car that travels downwind faster than the wind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCsgoLc_fzI

[Fletcher]

2.8 x constant wind speed as ground speed (velocity made good) with wind directly behind them.

IIRC 1.8 x directly into wind !

I would say the argument is pretty compelling when they can go faster than the wind speed into wind by that sort of margin.

FWI the aerodynamic drag and lift formulas are the same except for the Coefficient of Drag, and the Coefficient of Lift as the variables in the formulas, and used in the formulas and established by experiment in wind tunnels.

Bearing in mind that the Drag Coefficient is only a small percentage of the Lift Coefficient in good aerodynamic designs of wings and propellers etc.

And that is where the marginal gain is IMO (the differential) , tho both predict a force that multiplies up by the square of the velocity, as does KE (as per the carts KE as well).

ETA : and why I was able to build a sim wheel based on aerodynamic lift and drag forces (the drop-wing) that restored PE from a standing start and had excess KE over the zenith. The theory seems sound, imo.

[gravitationallychallenged]

@ Fletcher

I would like to use the principle demonstrated at 13:30 to enable a falling prime mover weight to lift a slave weight in a linear motion as rapidly and as far as needed within the radius of a wheel. Whether or not the resulting movement will contribute to spontaneous rotation remains to be seen.

Thanks, Wubbly, for posting this!

[Tarsier79]

GC. Only if it breaks the law of levers.

[gravitationallychallenged]

GC. Only if it breaks the law of levers.

Tarsier79, I know leverage is a zero sum equation. Bessler said that he was able to use a light weight to lift a heavy weight and in the process he produced rotation within his wheels. I can only conclude that Bessler used gravity as an added force to affect the balance of his weights and he tipped the scales in his favor to produce rotation.