Lift per unit span at an arbitrary spanwise station, often denoted as , refers to the lift generated by an airfoil section located at that specific spanwise position, normalized by the wing’s span. It provides insight into the distribution of lift along the wing’s span and is an essential parameter in aerodynamics.
- : Lift per unit span at the spanwise station , representing the lift generated by the airfoil section normalized by the wing’s span.
- : Density of the free-stream air, typically measured in kilograms per cubic meter ().
- : Freestream velocity (velocity far away from the airfoil), measured in meters per second ().
- : Circulation at the spanwise station , which represents the strength of the vortex system generated by the airfoil section. It is often measured in square meters per second ().