Airfoil

Core route · physical intuition

Lift, pressure, and flow — manipulated in real time.

This explainer makes fluid dynamics tactile. Move the wing profile, adjust flow conditions, and watch how pressure distributions and boundary layers respond. It turns the “why do wings fly?” question into something you can explore directly.

Open Airfoil Open hub route

At a glance

Why this matters

Wing lift is usually explained with static diagrams. This makes the relationship between shape, flow, pressure, and boundary layers something you can probe and break.

What to try first

Start with a symmetric profile at zero angle of attack and watch the pressure plot. Tilt the wing to see how lift and separation change, then tweak viscosity and speed until the boundary layer behaves differently.

Where it lives

The maintained version lives at the route linked here, while this garden note keeps the embed, context, and backlinks together.

Time and level

About 12 to 18 minutes. Intermediate. Best when you want a physics explainer that stays visual before it turns mathematical.

Embed

Reading path

• Open the live interactive: https://kohnnn.github.io/interactive-explanation/airfoil/
• Use Primary Interactive Hub when you want a broader route pick after this family
• Continue via Interactive or Visual Notes