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A comment on Team New Zealand set new wind-powered land speed record on South Australian Lake. Parent comment
It might sound paradoxical that a vehicle entirely powered by the wind can travel significantly faster than it.
But, as Dr Karl explained, the principle has been exploited by sailors for centuries.
It involves something called "apparent wind" — and relies on the fact that travelling at an angle to the wind can generate more speed.
For a different take I would recommend the propeller-based vehicles [2] that go faster than the wind without using sailing techniques.
[1]: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-28/americas-cup-winner-g...
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbird_(wind-powered_vehicl...
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It might sound paradoxical that a vehicle entirely powered by the wind can travel significantly faster than it.
But, as Dr Karl explained, the principle has been exploited by sailors for centuries.
It involves something called "apparent wind" — and relies on the fact that travelling at an angle to the wind can generate more speed.
For a different take I would recommend the propeller-based vehicles [2] that go faster than the wind without using sailing techniques.
[1]: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-28/americas-cup-winner-g...
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbird_(wind-powered_vehicl...