Nature's Flyers: Birds, Insects, and the Biomechanics of Flight
- ISBN-10
- 0801867568
- ISBN-13
- 9780801867569
- Category
- Medical
- Pages
- 358
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2002-03-08
- Publisher
- JHU Press
- Author
- David E. Alexander
Description
Selected by Choice Magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title for 2003 David E. Alexander's fascination with the many animals and plants that have harnessed the air is evident in Nature's Flyers: Birds, Insects, and the Biomechanics of Flight, a detailed account of our current scientific understanding of the primary aspects of flight in nature. Instead of relying on elaborate mathematical equations, Alexander explains the physical basis of flight with sharp prose and clear diagrams. Drawing upon bats, birds, insects, pterosaurs, and even winged seeds, he details the basic operating principles of wings and then moves progressively through more complex modes of animal flight, including gliding, flapping, and maneuvering. In addition to summarizing the latest thinking about flight's energy costs, Alexander presents a holistic view of flight and its ramifications as he explores the ecology and evolution of flying animals, addressing behaviorally important topics such as migration and navigation. With somewhat surprising answers, the author then concludes his study by examining the extent to which natural flight has been inspiring or instructive for the architects of human flight—airplane designers and engineers.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2004-11-17
- 358 pages
- Paperback
- JHU Press
Similar books
-
Bats
By Frankie StoutBats have always gotten a bad rap. This book teaches readers what these mysterious and misunderstood creatures of the night are really like.
-
The Human Spirit: Beginnings from Genesis to Science
By Marjorie O’Rourke BoyleSee David E. Alexander, Nature's Flyers: Birds, Insects, and the Biomechanics of Flight (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002), 3. 91. John J. Videler, Avian Flight (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005), 154, viii, 88. 92.
-
Why Don't Jumbo Jets Flap Their Wings?: Flying Animals, Flying Machines, and How They Are Different
By David AlexanderThe book traces the slow and deliberate evolutionary process of animal flight—in birds, bats, and insects—over millions of years and compares it to the directed efforts of human beings to create the aircraft over the course of a single ...
-
Biomimetics: Nature-Based Innovation
By Yoseph Bar-CohenNature-Based Innovation Yoseph Bar-Cohen. and.rudimentary.gliding.abilities. ... “technology”.advance- ments.in.nature's.flyers.and.in.aircraft.include.by.necessity.multiple.sequenced.and.ser- endipitous.developments..The.
-
Recent Advances in Materials, Mechanics and Management: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Materials, Mechanics and Management (IMMM 2017),...
By Sheela Evangeline, M.R. Rajkumar, Saritha G. Parambath1.3 Flight configurations of MAV Depending on the nature of lift production, MAVs are broadly classified into three configurations— fixed wing, ... Whenever designing an MAV, it is quite obvious to get inspired by nature's flyers.
-
On the Wing: Insects, Pterosaurs, Birds, Bats and the Evolution of Animal Flight
By David E. AlexanderThe book delves into the fossil record of flyers enough to satisfy the budding paleontologist, while also pleasing ornithologists and entomologists alike with its treatment of animal behavior, flapping mechanisms, and wing-origin theory.
-
Birds: Nature's Magnificent Flying Machines
By Caroline ArnoldAn introduction to the science that explains how birds fly.
-
Nature's Aristocracy: Or, Battles and Wounds in Time of Peace. A Plea for the Oppressed
By Jennie CollinsNature's Aristocracy: Or, Battles and Wounds in Time of Peace. A Plea for the Oppressed