Aspect ratio

aeronautics. the ratio of the span of an airfoil to its mean chord.
television. the ratio of the width of an image to its height, usually the ratio 4 to 3.
naval architecture. the ratio of the height of a rudder to its fore-and-aft length.
rocketry.

also called fineness ratio, slenderness ratio. the ratio of the mean diameter of the body of a rocket or missile to its length.
the ratio of the length of the combustion chamber of a rocket motor to its diameter.

historical examples

the aspect ratio of the early blriots was low, which gave them greater speed.
the boy’s book of new inventions harry e. maule

now the higher the aspect ratio the greater should be the efficiency.
the theory and practice of model aeroplaning v. e. johnson

the aspect ratio of the planes was six to one, instead of about three to one, as in their second glider.
the war in the air; vol. 1 walter raleigh.

an aspect ratio of 10:1 or even 12:1 should be used if possible.
the theory and practice of model aeroplaning v. e. johnson

scientists call this proportion of the spread to the depth the aspect ratio of planes.
the boy’s book of new inventions harry e. maule

this is a very important consideration in the designing of an aeroplane, because aspect ratio is a factor in the speed.
the boy’s book of new inventions harry e. maule

it is this very question of aspect ratio which has given us the monoplane, the biplane, and the triplane.
the theory and practice of model aeroplaning v. e. johnson

noun
the ratio of width to height of the picture on a television or cinema screen
(aeronautics) the ratio of the span of a wing to its mean chord
graphics
the ratio of width to height of a pixel, image, or display screen. square pixels (1:1) are considered preferable but displays are usually about 5:4.
(1994-11-30)