9781422272862

Look under the hood. Your car is a chemistry lesson in the making.

that mirror would be turbulent and would also then affect other areas of the car. For this reason, designers create mirrors that are rounded and smooth so that air flows around them in a much steadier fashion. The same concept applies to the wings of an airplane; they are smooth on the front edges so that air flows smoothly over the wing. Designers optimize every aspect of the car to minimize turbulence, therefore minimizing the drag the car encounters. ENGINE PLACEMENT You may not think of engine placement as a science, but it is. This placement is a very important consideration in any automobile design, but designers don’t choose where it goes. Engines ideally should be as close to the car’s center as possible. This scientific

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SCIENCE IN AUTOMOBILES