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by adtac 1815 days ago
Isn't Bernoulli's principle only applicable when talking about the same flow? I've always found the "above path is longer than the lower path" explanation to be unintuitive because we're not talking about the same flow. They're separate flows.
3 comments

That may be the correct answer here. The important point to note is that there is no physical reason why the two separate upper and lower streamlines would collude to arrive at the back of the wing at the same time and in fact they do not.
Bernoulli's principle, the actual thing, has very strict criteria* to be applicable. People usually neglect this entirely in casually throwing the term around.

- points 1 and 2 lie on a streamline,

- the fluid has constant density (note effects of height difference > gravitational potential energy between point 1 and 2),

- the flow is steady, and

- there is no friction.

Is it possible to think of.. the roundness on the front disrupting the airflow over the top causing air to become turbulent and less dense on the top. Where as the air flow under the wing high higher relative density and the wing will rise to the less dense position?