can you apply the dimples on a golf ball too make a car go faster? e.g f1?
The dimples on a golf ball do not reduce drag. In fact it creates more drag on the ball. However what the dimples do is create a stabalizing effect which inturn creates lift which allows the ball to fly further. This is due to the speeds at which golf balls fly. If a ball would fly as fast as a bullet it would have a negative effect on flight. The drag on the ball would far outweigh the benefits of lift. However, with are car the aerodynamic forces are not symmetrical as they are over a sphere, plus you do not need lft. So applying dimps to the surface of a car would increase drag. Any time you redirect airflow you increase drag. In an F1 car, because they are so light you need downforce to keep it glued to the road, and less weight produces better acceleration when downforce isn’t as present, at lower speeds. Ideally you would want smooth contiguous surfaces on a car to produce very little distruption in air flow over the surface of the car. Mechanically speaking that is difficult to achieve when some shapes are vastly stonger than others. Most things are a trade off when it comes to engineering.
