Aerofoil

In the context of aerospace engineering, an aerofoil, also known as an airfoil, is a shape designed to obtain a desirable reaction from the air through which it moves. It is a fundamental concept in the field of aerodynamics, the study of the motion of air. Aerofoils are used in the design of aircraft wings and propeller blades to generate lift, a force that opposes gravity and enables an aircraft to ascend and maintain flight. The shape of an aerofoil is characterized by its chord line, camber line, leading edge, and trailing edge. The chord line is the straight line connecting the leading and trailing edges, while the camber line is the curve midway between the top and bottom surfaces of the aerofoil. The leading edge is the point at the front of the aerofoil with the smallest radius, and the trailing edge is the point at the rear where the top and bottom surfaces meet. The pressure difference between the upper and lower surfaces of the aerofoil, caused by the variation in airspeed, results in the generation of lift.