Question

The wing model in Prob. 5.3 is pitched to a new angle of attack, where the lift on the entire wing is measured as 200 N by the wind-tunnel force balance. If the wingspan is 2 m, what is the angle of attack?

Answer 1

Determining the angle of attack from the lift force and wingspan alone is not possible without further information such as airspeed, air density, wing area and lift coefficient.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question regarding the angle of attack for a wing producing a lift force of 200 N with a wingspan of 2 m involves principles from fluid dynamics and aerodynamics, sub-disciplines within physics. However, to accurately determine the angle of attack from the information provided is not feasible without additional information such as the airspeed, wing area, air density, and lift coefficient, which are all factors in the lift equation L = ½ CL ρ V2 A, where L is lift force, CL is the lift coefficient, ρ represents air density, V is airspeed, and A is the wing area.

The frequently quoted rule of thumb in aircraft design which specifies that wings should produce approximately 1000 N of lift per square meter of wing does not provide enough specific information to solve for the angle of attack without knowing these additional parameters.