aerodynamics

/ˌɛroʊdaɪˈnæmɪks/

In physics, aerodynamics is the study of how things move through air. Car engineers consider aerodynamics when they design the shape of a vehicle.

Aerodynamics is both the science of the way air moves, and also simply the way an object's shape affects how it moves through the air. Much of the design of airplanes focuses on the aerodynamics of their wings and noses, keeping them aloft and moving quickly through the air. The word aerodynamics has been around since the mid-1800s, combining the Greek prefix aero-, "air," and dynamics, a word applied to many branches of physics, from the Greek dynamikos, "powerful."

Definitions of aerodynamics

1. noun

   the branch of mechanics that deals with the motion of gases (especially air) and their effects on bodies in the flow
   synonyms: aeromechanics

   type of:

   mechanics

   the branch of physics concerned with the motion of bodies in a frame of reference