Which four forces act on an airplane in flight?

Gravity, friction, magnetism and spin

The shaped cross-section of a wing

What is the angle of attack?

The angle between the wing and oncoming air

How does Newton's third law explain lift?

The wing pushes air down, so air pushes the wing up

Which popular lift explanation is wrong?

That air over the top must rejoin air below at the same time

That pressure differs above and below

Airplane Lift Quiz: Wings, Air Pressure and Angle of Attack

This airplane lift quiz explains how heavy aircraft rise into the sky on invisible forces. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on the four forces of flight, airfoil shape, angle of attack, air pressure, Newton's third law, stalls, flaps, the equal transit myth and the Wright brothers' wind tunnel.

Start Airplane Lift Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Forces
Which four forces act on an airplane in flight?
Airfoil
What is an airfoil?
Angle
What is the angle of attack?
Pressure
Where is air pressure usually lower on a wing?
Newton
How does Newton's third law explain lift?
Stall
What causes a stall?
Flaps
Why do pilots extend flaps for landing?
Myth
Which popular lift explanation is wrong?
Speed
How does lift change when speed doubles?
Wrights
What did the Wright brothers build to test wing shapes?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which four forces act on an airplane in flight?
Answer: Lift, weight, thrust and drag
Pilots balance all four.
Q2: What is an airfoil?
Answer: The shaped cross-section of a wing
It is curved to guide air.
Q3: What is the angle of attack?
Answer: The angle between the wing and oncoming air
More angle gives more lift up to a point.
Q4: Where is air pressure usually lower on a wing?
Answer: Above the wing
The pressure difference pushes the wing up.
Q5: How does Newton's third law explain lift?
Answer: The wing pushes air down, so air pushes the wing up
Air is turned downward behind the wing.
Q6: What causes a stall?
Answer: Too high an angle of attack
Airflow separates from the wing.
Q7: Why do pilots extend flaps for landing?
Answer: To get more lift at low speed
They change the wing's shape.
Q8: Which popular lift explanation is wrong?
Answer: That air over the top must rejoin air below at the same time
Air over the top actually arrives sooner.
Q9: How does lift change when speed doubles?
Answer: It roughly quadruples
Lift grows with speed squared.
Q10: What did the Wright brothers build to test wing shapes?
Answer: A wind tunnel
They tested many small wings.

Airplane Lift Quiz – Wings, Air Pressure and Angle of Attack

An airplane in flight is pushed and pulled by four forces: lift, weight, thrust and drag. Lift comes mainly from the wings, which have a shaped cross-section called an airfoil.

As the wing meets the air at an angle of attack, it turns the airflow downward and creates lower pressure above than below. Both pictures describe the same thing: the air is pushed down, so the wing is pushed up.

Too steep an angle makes the air separate from the wing and causes a stall. Flaps add lift for slow takeoffs and landings, and the Wright brothers built a wind tunnel to test wing shapes before their 1903 flight.

What This Quiz Teaches

Physics fans will enjoy these questions.

What forces act on a plane
How wings make lift
What angle of attack does
Why stalls happen
How flaps help

Did You Know?

Thin air at high altitude gives less lift.
Birds change their wing shape to control lift.
Lift depends on wing area too.
Planes can fly upside down with the right angle.
Wingtip devices reduce drag from swirling air.