English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Why do birds fly in well-defined formations? The observed formations ofbirds-in-flight are studied with a thermal model. Avian formation-flying istested as a self-organization process. The maximum entropy production rate(MEPR) postulate is examined to determine its applicability to the observed Vformation during the long-distance migration of large birds. A brief discussionof the principles of the rate of entropy generation maximization orminimization is first presented. The V formation is compared to other closelyrelated, but distinctly different formations that can also be adopted by aflock. The thermodynamic analysis from the results of the model indicates thatthe V formation (named the SV formation in the article) is found to be thepattern that optimizes energy use for the flight duration. This is accomplishedwith savings in the formation's thermal energy output (heat) by the trailingbirds. The MEPR postulate is found to hold for the V formation. The formationalso provides for the highest comfort temperatures, perhaps thereby allowingfor high altitude (low drag) flight levels to be accessed by the birds. Theresults of the model point to thermal awareness as a possible key driver fororganization into a V formation. The thermal model appears to validate all themajor experimental observations of avian formation flying. Regardless, withoutdetailed thermal measurements to validate, and without a physical basis for theconstant used in equation (C4d), it is not yet definitive that this thermalmodel is valid for avian flight formation. The analysis appears to indicatethat the organization into patterns of live objects may follow the MEPRprinciple for self-organization in a manner previously noted for chemical andmetallurgical processes.

An Entropic Model for Assessing Avian Flight Formations