What is camber in an airfoil?

• A. The characteristic curve of its upper and lower surfaces
• B. The wing's angle of attack
• C. The wing's span
• D. The leading edge radius

Answer: (A)

Camber describes how curved the airfoil’s cross-section is—the bend in the profile that runs between the upper and lower surfaces. This curvature, captured by the mean camber line, shapes how air flows over the wing and creates a pressure difference that generates lift at a given speed and angle of attack. The answer that talks about the curve of the airfoil’s profile best represents this cross-sectional shape. The other terms refer to different concepts: angle of attack is how the wing meets the air, span is the wing’s width, and the leading-edge radius is the front-edge curvature—none of these define camber itself.