How does air density affect lift?

Air density plays a crucial role in the generation of lift, primarily defined by the lift equation: Lift = 0.5 × Cl × p × V² × S, where Cl is the coefficient of lift, p is the air density, V is the velocity of the air over the wings, and S is the wing area.

When air density increases, the value of p in the equation becomes larger, which directly results in an increase in lift produced by the wings of an aircraft for a given speed and wing area. Higher air density means there are more air molecules available to create lift, resulting in the wings experiencing greater pressure difference between the upper and lower surfaces. This enhanced pressure difference is what enables the wings to produce more lift.

Therefore, when considering the relationship between air density and lift, higher air density indeed increases lift, making this the definitive explanation of why that choice is the correct one in this context.