Bees Fly and Math Knows Why

Feb 21, 2019 | Cave Creek

"According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way that a bee should be able to fly. Its wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground. The bee, of course, flies anyways. Because bees don't care what humans think is impossible."

- Bee Movie

However, we do understand how bees fly! Using linear model showed that bees couldn't fly - that they flouted the laws of mathematics and physics. But using different mathematical models, scientists have found that bumblebees flap and rotate their wings creating a vortex that produces a much larger lift than a linear model would allow.

With their small size and rapid wing movement, the air around a bee's wings becomes very viscous, or as thick as honey, so that they stay in the air!

You can read more about how bees fly here and also find out about the origins of the bees-shouldn't-be-able-to-fly myth!

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2141802-maths-explains-how-bees-can-stay-airborne-with-such-tiny-wings/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2018/05/11/how-do-bees-fly/#2d8752465464â€‹