The aerodynamics of an open top box at speed

[noroomtomove]

I'll have an attempt with this.

As you are riding along at 80 miles per hour air is rushing all about you now just for a minute don't think of air as a gas but as a fluid. When water flows down a river the volume of water moving stays the same but when the depth of the water in the river is reduced the water speed is increased. Now air unlike water is not confined by the banks of a river but as a gas moves at different speeds as it moves over parts of you and the bike this creates areas of low and high pressure so as you rode down the freeway at 80 miles the area behind you back became a low pressure zone this once it over came gravity lifted the lid due to the latch being what it was. In a similar manner the air passing over the wing of an airliner is forced to travel further on the top of the wing than the bottom side due to the wings shape thus creating a low pressure area above the wing relatve to the area below, this is sufficient to lift the aircraft of the runway on takeoff.


regards NRTM