What two factors primarily influence induced drag?

Induced drag is primarily related to the lift generated by an aircraft and is significantly influenced by the aspect ratio of the wing. When an aircraft generates lift, it creates a vortex at the wingtips, which leads to a downward motion of the airflow in the vicinity of the wing. This vortex generation results in induced drag, which increases with greater amounts of lift.

The aspect ratio of a wing, which is the ratio of its span to its mean chord, plays a critical role in determining the amount of induced drag. Wings with a higher aspect ratio (long and slender wings) generate less induced drag compared to low aspect ratio wings (short and stubby wings) because the longer wings create less vortex strength for a given amount of lift.

Overall, as lift increases, induced drag increases; conversely, as lift decreases, induced drag diminishes. The shape and design of the wing, as encapsulated in the concept of aspect ratio, further influence this relationship, dictating how efficient a wing is at generating lift with minimal drag. Therefore, the combination of lift production and the aspect ratio provides the framework for understanding induced drag's dependence on these two factors.