What is the most aerodynamic shape?
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M$2 Answers
As you approach the speed of sound, though, the shape of the aircraft can cause localized supersonic airflow, referred to as wave drag. This wave drag is a function of the rate of change of cross-sectional area. The shape that minimizes this is some variation of a Sears-Haack body, sort of a cigar that is (nearly) pointed at both ends.
At a given speed, the increased length of the nose (as compared to the traditional air foil or teardrop) has a larger surface area, though, and thus a higher drag due to friction.
There is no perfectly ideal shape then. It is a compromise depending on the speed of the object. At lower speeds, the Sears-Haack is not needed to prevent wave drag, but at higher speeds, it is.
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M$Assuming the air is equally dense in all areas around an object a cone shaped object (think of a rocket or missile) will be the most aerodynamic. However, this is only true if there is nothing else in the picture. If you are talking about a car then we also need to factor in the road surface and how air will reflect off of it.
If you can provide additional details if this is a practical question, or say whether this is purely theoretical that would be helpful to other answerers. I tried to give a starting point for both cases.
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