Atwood number

English

Etymology

Probably named after George Atwood.

Noun

Atwood number (plural Atwood numbers)

1. (fluid dynamics) A dimensionless number used in the study of hydrodynamic instabilities in density stratified flows: $\mathrm {A} ={\frac {\rho _{1}-\rho _{2}}{\rho _{1}+\rho _{2}}}$, where $\rho _{1}$ is the density of the heavier fluid and $\rho _{2}$ is the density of the lighter fluid.

Further reading

• Atwood number on Wikipedia.Wikipedia