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angle of incidence

American  

noun

  1. Also called incidenceOptics, 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 British  

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

"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 Scientific  
  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.


Etymology

Origin of angle of incidence

First recorded in 1620–30

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The team devised a method to meticulously control the phase of the metalens, ensuring precise focusing of sound waves regardless of their angle of incidence.

From Science Daily

Through the use of metasurfaces, the team devised a system that controls light to convey only a specific phase of information at a given angle, resulting in diverse images based on the angle of incidence.

From Science Daily

Shorter wavelengths/higher frequencies of light are scattered away, leaving only the longer wavelengths, colored red, able to penetrate through the length of the atmosphere at a low angle of incidence.

From Washington Post

But need the angle of reflection be equal to the angle of incidence in any universe?

From Literature

The law of reflection states that when a ray of light reflects off a surface, the angle of incidence or the angle of approach so to speak is equal to the angle of reflection.

From Golf Digest