Fortunately, Bumblebees Don't Do Math

[RascalPuff]

There are several stories that go with the myth that bumblebees have been mathematically proven to be incapable of flight. Below is an anthology of cogent information on that subject.

To make a longer story shorter, there's two kinds of math - metric, and non metric. The first type of math is obliged to respond as an accurate description of existing conditions, whereas non metric math can espouse two different correct forumulas, each independently correct, while comparatively contradicting each other. Same thing with metric and non metric space; the latter not necessarly having anything to do with real conditions. When these two different approaches to mathematics are confused for one another, conclusions such as 'bumblebees can't fly' are incurred.

It is understandably said that mathematics is a very important tool to science and that there can be no well rounded understanding of scientific issues without mathematical accompaniment.

The other side of this coin is that if the only way a given issue is understood is by way of mathematics, then it can't be completely understood, and, may, in some cases, be *patently mistaken, if and when mathematics is the only conduit to comprehensive understanding.

(*SuperStringTheory, anyone?)
http://forums.delphiforums.com/EinsteinGroupie


Bumblebees may or not do mathematics, whereas their elegantly fluid if cumbersome flight is undeniable and has even been put to music in 'The Flight of the Bumblebee'. Can be an embarassing melody for some ink and chalk slinging mathematicians...

Incidentally, a large percentage of green - chlorophyl based - vegetation wouldn't exist, were it not for the cross pollination of the musically humming bumblebees; which also happen to look and act the peaceful part of the beautiful service they're rendering to all concerned (food chain connected) party animals.

Regards,
- RP


(Ah one, anna two, anna....)


References:
Brookes, M. 1997. On a wing and a vortex. New Scientist (Oct. 11):24-27.
Cormier, R. 1991. The Bumblebee Flies Anyway. New York: Random House.
Dalton, S. 1975. Borne on the Wind: The Extraordinary World of Insects in Flight. New York: Reader's Digest Press.
Dickinson, M. 2001. Solving the mystery of insect flight. Scientific American 284(June):34-41. Article.
Dudley, R. 1999. The Biomechanics of Insect Flight: Form, Function, Evolution. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
Macphee, K. 2002. The buzz on bumblebees. Plus (Jan. 11). Available at http://www.pass.maths.org.uk/issue17/news/bumble/index.html.
McMasters, J.H. 1989. The flight of the bumblebee and related myths of entomological engineering. American Scientist 77(March-April):164-169.
Pennicott, K. 2001. Lasers illuminate the flight of the bumblebee. PhysicsWeb (Oct. 16). Available at http://www.physicsweb.org/article/news/5/10/9.
Segelken, R. 2000. Insect flight obeys the principles of aerodynamics, CU physicist proves. Cornell Chronicle 31(March 30). Available at http://www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicle/00/3.30.00/insect_flight.html.
Siskind, B. 2004. Bumblebees Can't Fly: Seven Simple Strategies for Making the Impossible Possible. New York: Wiley.
Wang, Z.J. 2000. Two dimensional mechanism for insect hovering. Physical Review Letters 85(Sept. 4):2216-2219. Abstract available at http://link.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v85/p2216.
Wootton, R.J. 1990. The mechanical design of insect wings. Scientific American 263(November):114-120.
______. 1996. The strange case of the bumble-bee that flew. Physics World (October):72. Available at http://www.wolfson.ox.ac.uk/~ben/zetie1.htm.

[mkirkpatrick]

Many thanks again RP,I love bumblebees and their cousins honey bees,without their presence this world would be sterile.

I seem to remember Victorian scientists "proving" that it was impossible for a Bumblebee
to fly! It was aerodynamically impossible for it to do so? How could they be so stupid!




regards michael.