area rule

noun

A rule stating that an airplane designed with the same cross-sectional area distribution in the longitudinal direction as the Sears-Haack body generates the same wave drag as this body, largely independent of the actual shape; used in aerodynamics to reduce drag, typically by narrowing the fuselage at the wing roots.

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Meanings

noun
  1. aerodynamicsA rule stating that an airplane designed with the same cross-sectional area distribution in the longitudinal direction as the Sears-Haack body generates the same wave drag as this body, largely independent of the actual shape; used in aerodynamics to reduce drag, typically by narrowing the fuselage at the wing roots.
Cite this entry
APA

area rule. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/area%20rule

MLA

“area rule.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/area%20rule. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “area rule,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/area%20rule.

Source: area rule on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.