In
fluid dynamics,
angle of attack (
AOA, or
(
Greek letter alpha)) is the
angle between a reference line on a body (often the
chord line of an
airfoil) and the
vector representing the relative motion between the body and the fluid through which it is moving. Angle of attack is the angle between the body's reference line and the oncoming flow. This article focuses on the most common application, the angle of attack of a wing or airfoil moving through air.