Paragliding: understanding forces for fun!

Paragliders skillfully exploit lift forces to glide above the surrounding countryside, often remaining airborne for hours and covering distances of tens of kilometers. The key to understanding how they can fly so successfully requires a knowledge of forces and fluid dynamics. We will learn about forces and motion in chapters 4 and 5, and about lift forces in chapter 11.

This photo of a paraglider taking off near a beach in southern France was taken by J.H. Page.