angle of incidence

noun

1. Also called incidence. Optics, Physics.,  the angle that a straight line, ray of light, etc., meeting a surface, makes with a normal to the surface at the point of meeting. aoi

2. (on an airplane) the angle, usually fixed, between a wing or tail root chord and the axis of the fuselage.

3. Chiefly British.,  angle of attack.

angle of incidence

noun

1. the angle that a line or beam of radiation makes with the normal to the surface at the point of incidence

2. another name for angle of attack

3. Also called: rigging angle of incidence. the angle between the chord line of an aircraft wing or tailplane and the aircraft's longitudinal axis

angle of incidence

1. The angle formed by a ray or wave, as of light or sound, striking a surface and a line perpendicular to the surface at the point of impact.

Word History and Origins

Origin of angle of incidence¹

First recorded in 1620–30