angle of incidence

noun

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.
(on an airplane) the angle, usually fixed, between a wing or tail root chord and the axis of the fuselage.
Chiefly British. angle of attack(def 1).

Origin of angle of incidence

First recorded in 1620–30

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for angle of incidence

angle of incidence

noun

the angle that a line or beam of radiation makes with the normal to the surface at the point of incidence
another name for angle of attack
Also called: rigging angle of incidence the angle between the chord line of an aircraft wing or tailplane and the aircraft's longitudinal axis

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

angle of incidence in Science

angle of incidence

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.