Question

What wing will have the lower induced drag? Aspect ration 2 or 4?

a) Aircraft with an aspect ratio of 2 (span/chord ratio of 2)
b) Aircraft with an aspect ratio of 4 (span/chord ratio of 4)
c)The induced drag remains the same for both aspect ratios.
d)The induced drag cannot be determined solely based on the aspect ratio.

Answer 1

An aircraft with an aspect ratio of 4 will experience lower induced drag compared to an aircraft with an aspect ratio of 2 due to the inverse relationship between aspect ratio and induced drag.

Step-by-step explanation:

When comparing the induced drag between an aircraft with an aspect ratio of 2 and one with an aspect ratio of 4, we find that the aircraft with the higher aspect ratio, which is the ratio of the wingspan to the chord length, will typically have lower induced drag. This is because induced drag decreases as aspect ratio increases. Therefore, an aircraft with an aspect ratio of 4 (span/chord ratio of 4) will have less induced drag than an aircraft with an aspect ratio of 2 (span/chord ratio of 2).