Sears-Haack body

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Sears-Haack body
Sears-Haack body

The Sears-Haack body is, generally speaking, the body least susceptible to wave drag. By Whitcomb's Area Rule, the derivative of cross-sectional area gives wave drag. Thus, the Sears-Haack body is pointed at two ends and grows to a maximum and then decreases toward the second point.

Under the area rule, shapes with the same cross-sectional area at each point along their length as this shape have the minimal amount of wave drag, and the overall shape of most aircraft (despite appearances) have cross-sectional areas that approach this form.

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