angle of incidence
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. Abbreviation: aoi: Compare angle of reflection.
(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
1Words Nearby angle of incidence
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British Dictionary definitions for angle of incidence
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
Scientific definitions for 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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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