Veritasium investigates whether a wind-powered vehicle can travel directly downwind faster than the wind, driving the Blackbird craft himself. The video explains the physics behind a claim some physics professors dispute.
Why Hacker News points people here: Frequently linked whenever wind-powered vehicles come up, as the clearest visual explanation of how the craft works.
“The visual that made it click for me was at 18:54 in the original video”HN comment, 2021
“The visual that made it click for me was at 18:54 in the original video”
Visual explanation of how the wind-powered vehicle gains energy from air
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The visual that made it click for me was at 18:54 in the original video[0]. It shows the air hitting the propeller losing kinetic energy which becomes the energy ultimately making the vehicle go. I also don't know how you can watch the treadmill video and doubt it after seeing it go up the treadmill unless you believed it was a complete hoax. [0] this video
Recommendskinjba11Jul 2021
“Veritasium is a great YouTube channel.”
Original video that triggered the downwind-faster-than-wind bet
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Original video triggering the bet for context: this video Video discussing the bet and going over criticism: link Veritasium is a great YouTube channel.
RecommendstzsAug 2021
“there is a very good explanation in the original Veritasium video”
Explains why zigzagging sailboats can beat the wind downwind
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If you believe that sailboats can beat a drifting balloon downwind by zigzagging, then there is a very good explanation in the original Veritasium video that shows that this is essentially the same thing. Here's a link to the section of the video with that explanation [1]. Watch about 2 or 3 minutes starting there and it becomes clear. [1] this video
Recommendstheli0nheartAug 2021
“I thought the video below provided a good explanation for why this works.”
Good explanation of why the vehicle works, like a sailboat
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I thought the video below provided a good explanation for why this works. The physics are similar to those of a single sailboat going faster than the wind. Imagine two sailboats on a cylindrical ocean on diagonal tacks, on opposite poles, and rotating around the core with rods connecting them to the core. Now you have a propeller. :) this video
RecommendsTimSchumannJul 2022
“They go into some nice detail about why the physics works out the way it does.”
Detailed explanation of why the physics of the vehicle works
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Derek from the YouTube channel Veritasium made two interesting videos about this vehicle. this videolink They go into some nice detail about why the physics works out the way it does.
Cites itworldsayshiJun 2021
“Veritasium has a very relevant interesting episode on this”
Veritasium episode on sailing faster than the wind
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You can sail faster than the wind when you push against a medium though. Veritasium has a very relevant interesting episode on this: this video Although I agree it would be challenging to get any significant speed from it.
Cites itwongarsuAug 2021
“you can see it starting just from the wind (first attempt is around 5:20)”
Shows the vehicle starting from wind alone
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In the veratasium video [1] you can see it starting just from the wind (first attempt is around 5:20). It works just fine because as you scale up the vehicle you scale up the propeller, so there's plenty of surface for the wind to push against. 1: this video
Cites itshagieAug 2021
“The original Veritasium video”
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The original Veritasium video this video The video of the bet and the further explanations - link -- at 13:28 is an example without aerodynamics.
Cites itsoheilApr 2022
“Reminds me of this Veritasium video were a wind powered car accelerates into the direction of the wind”
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Reminds me of this Veritasium video were a wind powered car accelerates into the direction of the wind this video
Cites ittwobitshifterJan 2023Full comment
Wind powered cars are possible and pretty cool. Turbines could use the apparent wind to generate just the same way it’s used by sailboats to go faster than the wind. this video
Cites itgcanyonOct 2023
“See these videos”
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I doubt this is how sailboats are doing it (if they're doing it) but one way is (I think) to make the airfoil itself cut across the wind while the "boat" goes straight downwind. See these videos: this videolink
