The lift per unit span () is a measure of the lift force generated by an airfoil or wing normalized by its span (width) across the direction of the airflow. It is a fundamental aerodynamic parameter used to quantify the lift produced by the airfoil or wing for a given span length.
- is the lift per unit span, which represents the lift force generated by the airfoil or wing normalized by its span length.
- is the air density of the freestream flow
- is the freestream velocity of the airflow
- is the chord length of the airfoil
- is the area enclosed by the airfoil itself
- is the area enclosed by a line connecting the leading and trailing edges of the airfoil