The higher the angle of attack, the more induced drag.

• A. False
• B. It depends on airspeed
• C. Only at supersonic speeds
• D. True

Answer: (D)

Induced drag arises from the wingtip vortices that form to create lift. The lift a wing generates at a given speed is controlled by the lift coefficient, which rises as the angle of attack increases. Induced drag is proportional to the square of the lift coefficient (Cd_i ∝ Cl^2 / (π e AR)). So when you raise the angle of attack, Cl goes up and induced drag increases correspondingly. This trend holds across the normal operating range up to the stall; near stall the lift coefficient stops increasing and flow separation alters the relationship, but the overall tendency is that higher angle of attack leads to more induced drag.