Expert: Paul Soderman - 4/7/2010

Question
I was wondering how aerospace engineers apply geometry into their daily life at work

If possible be specific because i know there are many ways i just dont know them in exact details.

Answer
John
Aerospace engineers work with three-dimensional bodies in motion and stationary all the time.  There are so many geometric calculations involved that I don't know where to start.  Let's just consider the calculation of distance to the airport knowing altitude and glide angle.  That is a geometric problem.  In wind tunnels we were always trying to calculate where something was relative to the model or where the airflow was going in a given wind and pressure gradient.  Laser doppler devices measured velocity based on reflections from moving particles. That involves geometry. Design of a wing is a problem in geometry.  It is all geometry and algebra and calculus.  It is almost harder to imagine problems that don't involve geometry or algebra or calculus.  Those we call political.
Paul