Froude number
/ˈfraʊd
/noun
A dimensionless number used in hydrodynamics to indicate how well a particular model works in relation to a real system.To this day, Froude numbers are used in boat design, and if you look at any boat-built-to-go-fast, from the racing shell to an America's Cup yacht, they all have the same long, sleek shape.’...
- In that article I talked about ratios of length, width and depth; I talked about wave drag and Froude numbers; I used lots of boat analogies (if none of that rings a bell you need to dig your last issue out and read it before going on here).
- Locomotion velocity, usually expressed as absolute distance per second, might be more appropriately measured in body lengths per second, or possibly defined as the nondimensional Froude number.
Origin
Mid 19th century: named after William Froude (1810–79), English civil engineer.