Which term describes the part of drag that arises from the generation of lift on an airfoil?

Which term describes the part of drag that arises from the generation of lift on an airfoil?

• A. Parasite Drag
• B. Induced Drag
• C. Form Drag
• D. Skin Friction Drag

Answer: (B)

Induced drag is the drag that arises from the wing’s production of lift. When a wing creates lift, air is pulled around the wing and off the wingtips, forming vortices and a downwash behind the wing. This downwash effectively increases the energy the wing must expend to generate lift, which shows up as drag. Induced drag is more noticeable at lower speeds or higher lift demands and diminishes as speed increases or with design features like a higher aspect ratio or winglets that reduce tip vortices. The other types—parasite drag (including form drag from the airplane’s shape and skin friction drag from surface friction)—are not caused by lift generation and behave differently with speed.

Induced drag is the drag that arises from the wing’s production of lift. When a wing creates lift, air is pulled around the wing and off the wingtips, forming vortices and a downwash behind the wing. This downwash effectively increases the energy the wing must expend to generate lift, which shows up as drag. Induced drag is more noticeable at lower speeds or higher lift demands and diminishes as speed increases or with design features like a higher aspect ratio or winglets that reduce tip vortices. The other types—parasite drag (including form drag from the airplane’s shape and skin friction drag from surface friction)—are not caused by lift generation and behave differently with speed.