According to the laws of aerodynamics, the bumblebee should not be able to fly - and yet it does.
The so-called bumblebee paradox is based on the assumption that bumblebees cannot fly according to the laws of aerodynamics because their wing area is too small in relation to their weight. However, researchers have actually discovered that the aerodynamics of insects such as bumblebees work differently to those of larger flying objects such as aeroplanes. The air through which bumblebees fly remains dense, even though they themselves are much smaller and lighter than aeroplanes. Therefore, different conditions apply to the air currents around the wings of bumblebees, and calculations based on aerodynamics of aeroplanes lead to misleading results.
The assumption that bumblebees cannot fly is based on a model that assumes that their wings are rigid. In reality, bumblebee wings flap up and down very quickly and complexly, generating enough lift to fly.
The paradox is therefore a pseudo-paradox, as the original calculation did not take into account the actual flight mechanism of bumblebees.
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