2006-06-23 03:05:01 · 12 answers · asked by annababyuk 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
That's just an argument creationists try to make..."oh...well scientists don't know exactly how a bumble bee flies, so it must be God". It is a logical fallacy known as the "argument from ignorance". I don't understand it...therefore it must be supernatural. That's simply wrong. Any real scientist won't give up but will keep investigating.
On a sidenote...scientists did keep investigating and they know very well how a bumble bee flies now. No ridiculous divine powers needed.
2006-06-23 03:53:29 · answer #1 · answered by the_bendude 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
one of the old, somewhat amusing urban myths, I'm afraid. For what it's worth, though, it's an old urban myth- from Germany in the 30's. Physicist Ludwig Prandtl at Go"tttingen was the person first rumored to have made the calculation. Even he didn't say, though, that it was impossible for bees to fly, just that a straight-wing model of flight wouldn't work.
Some of this was in the timing, of course- it was somehow comforting to spread around that German science was this stupid. Later, the story "got wings" as it were from other sources: The need to point out that science didn't have all the answers and, more recently, the need to prove that some intelligent design is at work in the production of the insect that is beyond the mere mortal intelligence of scientists.
Although I agree that scientists don't know everything, this particular urban myth just keeps droning on and on....
2006-06-26 16:14:50 · answer #2 · answered by Phil 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They have found by wind tunnel testing with smoke, that a bumble bee's wings (via shape and the way they move the wings) create a vortex in the air that creates the lift needed to get off the ground. You can probabley find out more at discovery.com in the science or Animal Planet section or at nationalgeographic.com .
2006-06-23 03:10:08 · answer #3 · answered by zharantan 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bees could not fly if they did so like airplanes do, but bees are not aircraft. Bees are so small that the viscosity of air is an important contributor to the bees flight. Aircraft are so big that they do not benefit from viscosity at all, and so need much bigger wings.
2006-06-23 07:17:16 · answer #4 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A Bumble Bee's body weight to wing ratio "says" it can't fly. But God told it it could so it does.
2006-06-23 03:07:56 · answer #5 · answered by Celtic Tejas 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They know how it flies, it just defies all scientific logic. It should be impossible for a Bee to fly, but Bees don't know that and they just keep on doing it.
2006-06-23 03:10:05 · answer #6 · answered by djoldgeezer 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The previous responder is correct. Did you know that science also says it's impossible for a baseball pitcher to throw a "curve" ball?
2006-06-23 03:09:03 · answer #7 · answered by lefty 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it appears to be an impossible feat from an engineer's perspective. The body is so big and the wings are so little!
2006-06-23 03:08:30 · answer #8 · answered by Vanessa B 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they're wings move ridiculously fast. hence the buzzing noise. i hate those b@stards though. one flew into my car window while i was moving. and stung me twice. about the curveball, no its not impossible scientifically. the air movements around the RAISED SEAMS allow the ball to move differently than a fastball.
2006-06-23 03:09:16 · answer #9 · answered by Alex F 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This question was asked two months ago. You can view it directly by clicking the link below. The best answer is very good.
2006-06-23 03:09:49 · answer #10 · answered by rjss 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋