Windage
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Windage is a force created on an object by friction when there is relative movement between air and the object.
There are two possible causes of windage:
- the object is moving and being slowed by resistance from the air
- a wind is blowing producing a force on the object
The term can refer to :
- either, the effect of the force, for example the deflection of a missile or an aircraft by a cross wind
- or, the area and shape of the object that make it susceptible to friction, for example those parts of a boat that are exposed to the wind.
Aerodynamic streamlining can be used to reduce windage.
There is a similar hydrodynamic effect to windage.
In firearms parlance, windage refers to the side-to-side adjustment of a rifle's sight, used to change the horizontal component of the aiming point. (The up-down adjustment for the vertical component is the elevation.)Template:Tech-stub