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Frederick W. Lanchester and Aerodynamics: why an automotive engineer wrote a book for aerodynamic education

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2024

R.M. Cummings Open the ORCID record for R.M. Cummings [Opens in a new window]
R.M. Cummings*
Affiliation:
Department of Aeronautics, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
*
Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

So much has been written about Frederick W. Lanchester over the years, it is hard to imagine finding something new to discuss about his efforts in aerodynamics. Many of the previous Lanchester Memorial Lectures discussed topics such as wing aerodynamics, aircraft concepts and design, unsteady rotor aerodynamics, aerodynamics research and a wide variety of other related aerodynamic topics. However, there has never been a lecture about Lanchester’s book Aerodynamics as a tool for aerodynamics education in the early 20th century. The lecture will discuss his book relative to other aerodynamics books before and after 1907, and uncover how Lanchester’s book had a very distinct, and important, contribution to make for aerodynamic education.

Keywords

Lanchesteraerodynamicseducationpedagogytheorycomputations
Type
Survey Paper
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 129 , Issue 1331 , January 2025 , pp. 1 - 41
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Copyright
© US Air Force, 2024. This is a work of the US Government and is not subject to copyright protection within the United States. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Royal Aeronautical Society

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Footnotes

This paper is a version of the 2024 Lanchester Lecture.

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