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Assumptions of Thin Airfoil Theory

Assumes the airfoil is thin, the flow is incompressible, and the flow is inviscid. Key simplifications include neglecting thickness and assuming small angles of attack.
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The statement of the theorem

Let Ω\Omega be the flow domain and S\mathcal{S} be the airfoil surface. The assumptions impose the following constraints on the governing equations: (1) Incompressibility: ∇⋅v⃗=0\nabla \cdot \vec{v} = 0 in Ω\Omega. (2) Inviscid Flow: μ=0\mu = 0 (viscosity). (3) Thin Airfoil Limit: The maximum thickness tt and the chord length cc satisfy t/c≪1t/c \ll 1, allowing the flow to be modeled by a linearized boundary condition on the chord line.