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A kite is a quadrilateral with reflection symmetry across one of its diagonals. Equivalently, it is a quadrilateral whose four sides can be grouped into two pairs of adjacent equal-length sides. [1] [7] A kite can be constructed from the centers and crossing points of any two intersecting circles. [8]
The kite experiment is a scientific experiment in which a kite with a pointed conductive wire attached to its apex is flown near thunder clouds to collect static electricity from the air and conduct it down the wet kite string to the ground.
Kite flying originated as a Chinese tradition to mark the beginning of spring. However, because the plantation owners were suspicious of the planter class (read "plantation workers"), the Chinese claimed that it represented the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was a clever argument, as at that time, Christians celebrated Easter to the glory of ...
On May 10, 1752, Thomas-François Dalibard of France conducted Franklin's experiment using a 40-foot-tall (12 m) iron rod instead of a kite, and he extracted electrical sparks from a cloud. On June 15, 1752, Franklin may possibly have conducted his well-known kite experiment in Philadelphia, successfully extracting sparks from a cloud.
Parafoils see wide use in a variety of windsports such as kite flying, powered parachutes, paragliding, kitesurfing, speed flying, wingsuit flying and skydiving. [2] [4] [5] [6] The world's largest kite is a parafoil-variant. [7] Today, SpaceX uses steerable Parafoils to recover the fairings of their Falcon 9 rocket.
In general, the larger the surface area, the more power the kite has. Kite power is also directly linked to speed, and smaller kites can be flown faster in stronger winds. The kite size—wind speed curve tapers off, so going to a larger kite to reach lower wind ranges becomes futile at a wind speed of around eight knots.
Swivels in the line are important. Distinguish between a long arching collection of kites in a bow, or a rainbow pattern from a power kite called a bow kite. [56] [57] [58] Aqua-glider These various-formed manned kites were kited behind tow boats over water. [59] Air Force Lt. Col. Bill Skliar in 1959 designed a biplane kite glider nicknamed ...
The box kite was invented in 1893 by Lawrence Hargrave, [1] an English-born Australian, as part of his attempt to develop a manned flying machine. Hargrave linked several of his box kites ( Hargrave cells ) together, creating sufficient lift for him to fly some 16 ft (4.9 m) off the ground. [ 2 ]