The Physics of Sailing University of Colorado （帆船科罗拉多大学的物理学）.pdf

The Physics of Sailing Ryan M. Wilson JILA and Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0440, USA (Dated: February 7, 2010) We present a review of the physical phenomena that govern the motion of a sailing yacht. Motion is determined by force, and the forces on a sailing yacht depend on the interactions of the hull and keel of the yacht with the water and on the interactions of the sail or sails of the yacht with the air. We discuss these interactions from the perspective of fluid dynamics, governed ultimately by the Navier-Stokes equation, and show how forces such as lift and drag are achieved by the relative motion of a viscous fluid around a body. Additionally, we discuss phenomena that are exclusive to sailing yacht geometries. I. INTRODUCTION inghi 5 yacht, shown in figure 1a) and the Golden Gate Yacht Club (challenging the Cup with BMW Oracle Rac- ing’s BOR 90 yacht, shown in figure 1b). These boats In the year 1851, about a half century prior to the are direct products of an advanced understanding of the first successful flight of a fixed-winged aircraft, the New physics that governs the motion of a sailboat through the York Yacht Club’s schooner yacht won the Royal Yacht