How do kites stay up in the air?

Answer 1

Kites stay in the air because of the force exerted on them by moving air (wind). If there were no wind then the kite would fall to the ground. This is because gravity is always trying to pull the kite down. Now the force of wind comes in to play to keep the kite in the air. The kite is at an angle to the ground, and it looks like this slash when it is flying in the air ---> / That is important because as the kite catches the wind two orthogonal forces are applied to the kite. One that is anti-parallel to gravity (Meaning the force is pointing up.) and one that is orthogonal to gravity. We don't necessarily care about the orthogonal force for our example so let's forget about it. The force generated on the kite that is anti-parallel to gravity is what keeps it in the air, so long as the anti-parallel force is greater than the weight of the kite.