LESSON 2 · The Physics Inside Your Gadgets
Bernoulli's Half-Truth
Bernoulli's principle is real — faster air does exert lower pressure. And air genuinely moves faster over the curved top of a wing. So there is a pressure difference contributing to lift.
But Bernoulli alone can't explain why planes fly upside down, why flat wings work, or why a stunt biplane sustains inverted flight. If curvature were the whole story, flipping a plane should mean an instant nosedive. It doesn't. Bernoulli describes part of the picture, but treating it as the full explanation is like crediting only the drummer for the song.