Final answer:
The question pertains to the concept of aerodynamics, where lift and drag are fundamental forces. Lift is generated by air pressure differences and is zero when there's no deflection of airflow. While zero lift implies zero perpendicular force, a 3-D wing's drag may still differ from a 2-D airfoil's due to three-dimensional effects and not only shape and velocity parameters.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement regarding a wing producing zero lift having the same total drag as a 2-D airfoil is connected to aerodynamics, a branch of physics. In this context, lift and drag are two forces experienced by an object moving through a fluid such as air. Lift is a force perpendicular to the direction of motion and is generated by the difference in air pressure on the top and bottom surfaces of the wing, while drag is a force opposing the motion. If a wing is producing zero lift, it implies that there is no net force acting perpendicular to the airflow, possibly because the angle of attack of the wing is such that it does not deflect the air to create a pressure differential.
According to Bernoulli's principle and Newton's second law, drag is influenced by a variety of factors, including the shape and size of the object, the fluid's density, and the object's velocity through the fluid. For small particles moving at low speeds in a fluid, the drag force is proportional to the velocity (FD ∝ v). However, for larger objects moving at higher speeds, such as an aircraft wing, drag becomes proportional to the square of the velocity (FD ∝ v2).
When lift is zero, the drag force primarily consists of parasitic or form drag, which is directly associated with the shape and frontal area of the wing as it moves through the air. However, it is important to note that the drag on a 3-D wing of an airplane may still differ from that of a 2-D airfoil due to three-dimensional effects such as wingtip vortices which are not present in 2-D flow.