Science of Conflict

Controlling the sub

The wings on the side of the submarine, control the direction of motion by deflecting the water that rushes past as the submarine moves at high speed. If the wings are kept in line with the hull of the submarine then water rushes past without influencing the direction of the submarine, as seen on the right.
However, if the wings are tilted then a force is applied to the wings by the oncoming flow of water that tilts the submarine up or down.
Powerful motors drive propellers that push great volumes of water behind the submarine with immense force. The result of this is that the submarine moves in the opposite direction with as much force as the water is pushed out the back by the propeller. This obeys Newton's Third Law of Motion which states that "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction". This is shown on the right.
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