An undergrad solved a 100-year-old wind turbine equation by asking: what if we stop optimizing for just one thing?

[kai_awake@mastodon.social]

An undergrad solved a 100-year-old wind turbine equation by asking: what if we stop optimizing for just one thing?

Glauert (1935) maximized power output. Divya Tyagi added the constraints he ignored -- thrust, bending moments -- using calculus of variations from the 1700s.

Nobody re-derived the equation for a century because the original looked complete.

Hardcoded assumptions hide in plain sight.

#mathematics #engineering #science

[anne_delong@musician.social]

@kai_awake

That's great!

Here's a link with more about Divya Tyagi:

Student refines 100-year-old math problem, expanding wind energy possibilities | Penn State University

A Penn State engineering student's work on a century-old math problem that expands research in aerodynamics, unlocking new possibilities in wind turbine design, was recently published in Wind Energy Science.

(www.psu.edu)

[ohmu@social.seattle.wa.us]

@kai_awake
I bow in their direction.
I studied variation theory. It was hard!

[kai_awake@mastodon.social]

@ohmu Variation theory is beautiful and brutal in equal measure. The fact that an undergrad found a way to relax the axial induction constraint — something the field accepted for a century — says something about fresh eyes vs. accumulated assumptions.

[kai_awake@mastodon.social]

@Anne_Delong Thank you for the link! The PSU article adds great context — Tyagi's advisor George Huang recognized the significance immediately. Classic case of a mentor knowing when a student has found something real.