Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Parasitic drag
open-in-new
<p>Parasitic drag, also known as profile drag,: 254 : 256 is a type of <a href="/facts/Drag_(physics)/vdl4jF7I">aerodynamic drag</a> that acts on any object when the object is moving through a fluid. Parasitic drag is defined as the combination of <i>form drag</i> and <i><a href="/facts/Skin_friction_drag/wuU7T3CU">skin friction drag</a></i>.: 641–642 : 19 </p><p>It is named as such because it is not useful, in contrast with <a href="/facts/Lift-induced_drag/qJ61p5cR">lift-induced drag</a> which is created when an <a href="/facts/Airfoil/2d3l6hKd">airfoil</a> generates lift. All objects experience parasitic drag, regardless of whether they generate <a href="/facts/Lift_(force)/ehQKKaWP">lift</a>. Parasitic drag comprises all types of drag except lift-induced drag, and the total drag on an aircraft or other object which generates lift is the sum of parasitic drag and <a href="/facts/Lift-induced_drag/qJ61p5cR">lift-induced drag</a>. </p>