Magnus effect

The Magnus effect is a phenomenon that occurs when a spinning object is moving through a fluid. A lift force acts on the spinning object and its path may be deflected in a manner not present when it is not spinning. The strength and direction of the Magnus effect is dependent on the speed and direction the of rotation of the object.[1]

The Magnus effect is named after Heinrich Gustav Magnus, the German physicist who investigated it. The force on a rotating cylinder is an example of Kutta–Joukowski lift,[2] named after Martin Kutta and Nikolay Zhukovsky (or Joukowski), mathematicians who contributed to the knowledge of how lift is generated in a fluid flow.[3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Halliday was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Glenn was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Anderson, John D. (1984) Fundamentals of Aerodynamics, sections 3.15 and 3.16. McGraw-Hill ISBN 0-07-001656-9