Now, two Massachusetts 18-year-olds have shown how to greatly boost the eco-friendliness of such vehicles. Vishnu Angiras and Misha Mishechkin simply roughed up the surface of those cylinders.
The principal behind those cylinders is the same aerodynamics that cause a spinning ball to arc through the air. It’s known as the Magnus effect. It’s named for H.G. Magnus, a German scientist who was the first to experimentally study the concept in 1853.
Vishnu and Misha have now shown how to optimize the fuel-saving value of this Magnus effect. For their discovery, they took home fourth place in the physics and astronomy division — and $500 — at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), here, on May 17. This competition is a program of the Society for Science
