What is the correct statement about the movement of the center of pressure with angle of attack?

What is the correct statement about the movement of the center of pressure with angle of attack?

• A. The center of pressure remains stationary as AoA changes.
• B. The center of pressure moves with AoA; the CP location shifts along the chord.
• C. The center of pressure only shifts if the wing is swept.
• D. The center of pressure moves only with changes in air density.

Answer: (B)

The movement of the center of pressure is about how the pressure distribution on the wing changes when the angle of attack changes. The center of pressure is the point along the wing where the resultant aerodynamic force acts. As the angle of attack increases or decreases, the pressure on the upper and lower surfaces shifts in magnitude and location, altering the moment produced by that force about the wing. Because of that changing moment, the line of action of the aerodynamic force moves along the chord, so the center of pressure shifts position. In practical terms, increasing AoA tends to move the CP forward toward the leading edge for many airfoils, while decreasing AoA can move it rearward. This CP movement is a direct consequence of how the pressure distribution responds to angle of attack, and it is not determined primarily by wing sweep or simply by air density. The aerodynamic center, by contrast, stays relatively fixed with AoA, while the CP moves relative to it.

The movement of the center of pressure is about how the pressure distribution on the wing changes when the angle of attack changes. The center of pressure is the point along the wing where the resultant aerodynamic force acts. As the angle of attack increases or decreases, the pressure on the upper and lower surfaces shifts in magnitude and location, altering the moment produced by that force about the wing. Because of that changing moment, the line of action of the aerodynamic force moves along the chord, so the center of pressure shifts position.

In practical terms, increasing AoA tends to move the CP forward toward the leading edge for many airfoils, while decreasing AoA can move it rearward. This CP movement is a direct consequence of how the pressure distribution responds to angle of attack, and it is not determined primarily by wing sweep or simply by air density. The aerodynamic center, by contrast, stays relatively fixed with AoA, while the CP moves relative to it.