Question

You are holding a cage containing a bird. Do you have to make less effort if the bird flies from its position in the cage and manages to stay in the middle without touching the walls of the cage? Does it makes a difference whether the cage is completely closed or it has rods to let air pass?

Answer 1

More effort is needed when the cage is closed, while less effort is required when the cage has rods to let the air pass. When a bird flies from its position, it pushes the air downwards. Thus, when the bird is in a cage, the net downward force will be equal to the weight of the cage plus the downward force due to air (the weight of the bird).

However, if the cage has rods to let air pass, the downward force exerted by air become less. Therefore, less effort will be required to hold the cage.