What term describes the characteristic curve of an airfoil’s upper and lower surfaces?

• A. Camber
• B. Span
• C. Chord
• D. Camberline

Answer: (A)

Camber describes how much the airfoil’s midline curves relative to the chord. The curve that runs between the upper and lower surfaces—the camber line—embodies that curvature, and the camber value is the measure of how far this midline sits from the chord line. So, when a question asks for the term describing the characteristic curve of an airfoil’s surfaces, camber is the standard way to refer to that overall curvature. Span and chord are dimensions, not curvature, and the camberline is the actual midline curve itself rather than the amount of curvature.