Magic Carpets Possible, Mathematician Says

By The Daily Telegraph
December 21, 2007

They are one of the more fantastical inventions, even for fairy tales. But flying carpets are not beyond the realms of possibility, a Harvard mathematician has said. Based on a calculation of the aerodynamics of a rippling sheet, a rug could be raised off the ground and driven forward in a way reminiscent of those in "The Arabian Nights."

According to research published in the journal Physical Review of Letters, the invention would move in a similar way to sea creatures such as rays and skates, which have been known to breach and "fly" briefly above the water.

However, before we start to imagine ourselves traveling like King Solomon, whose magic carpet was said to have been made of green silk and big enough to carry his throne and entourage, the claims do come with a proviso.

Researchers have so far only succeeded in showing that flying is practical for something the size of a bank note, which would have to vibrate about 10 times a second.

Making a larger, heavier version is not forbidden by the laws of physics, but it would have to ripple significantly to achieve any speed, suggesting it would not make for the most comfortable flight.

"If you want a smooth ride, you can generate a lot of small ripples. But you'll be slower," Lakshminarayanan Mahadevan, who led the research at Harvard, said.