Coriolis Effect
What is Coriolis effect?
The Coriolis effect is the tendency of a rotor blade to speed up or slow down in its plane of rotation as its center of mass moves closer to or farther from the axis of rotation. As a blade flaps up, its mass shifts inward and it accelerates; as it flaps down, its mass moves outward and it decelerates. Think of it like an ice skater pulling in their arms to spin faster—same physics, applied to a flapping rotor blade.
Also known as: law of conservation of angular momentum (helicopter context)
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