Daniel Bernoulli

	DANIEL BERNOULLI Physicist and Fluid Dynamicist
	Daniel Bernoulli, born into a Swiss family of leading mathematicians, completed university studies in philosophy, logic and medicine. In writing his doctoral dissertation on the mechanics of breathing, he applied mathematical physics to medicine. Among Bernoulli's historical scientific discoveries, his method of measuring blood pressure in the human body, developed in 1726, is still used today in modern aircraft to measure the speed of airflow. His chief work on the conservation of energy, Hydrodynamica, published in 1738, resulted in what is known as Bernoulli's Principle, which states: "As the velocity of a fluid increases, its static pressure decreases." This priciple explains how the faster airflow over the curved upper surfaces of airplane wings and helicopter rotors creates the pressure differential that generates and sustains lift. Without understanding the theory of Bernoulli's Principle on fluid flow, humankind would still be earthbound. During his long career at Switzerland's Basel University, Bernoulli published more than seventy scientific papers in professional journals and was awarded the prize of the Paris Academie des Sciences ten times. He died in Basel in 1782.
	Elected to the International Aerospace Hall of Fame 2002