How to Identify an Airfoil from a Piece-wise Function?

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To identify an airfoil from a piece-wise function, one can match the function to known airfoil profiles, particularly using the NACA 4-digit convention. This convention specifies characteristics such as maximum camber and thickness as percentages of the chord length, allowing for a systematic comparison. For example, a NACA 2412 indicates a maximum camber at 24% of the chord and a thickness of 12%. Alternatively, if the function does not correspond to a known airfoil, one may need to reverse-engineer it by selecting a standard airfoil and adjusting the parameters. Understanding these conventions is crucial for accurately identifying airfoils based on mathematical descriptions.
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OK, I have two labs, one in Calc 3, one in aerodynamics.

In calc 3, we are using an airfoil described by a piece-wise function. How can I figure out what the name of that airfoil is?

By that, I mean can I match up the airfoil to the function given?

Or will I have to work backwards and choose a known airfoil?
 
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if you are using the standard NACA 4 digit convention then it works as follows.

For a NACA 2412, the maximum camber occurs at 24% down the chord from the leading edge, and the maximum thickness of the airfoil is 12% of the total chord length.

For a NACA 0016. the airfoil has no camber (thus is symmetric) and has a maximum thickness of 16% of the total chord lenght.

There are other naming conventions as well and the values are typically expressed in terms of % chord
 
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