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Culture Documents
du c p heat transfer (advection–diffusion problems;
Péclet number Pe Pe RePr total momentum transfer to molecular heat
k transfer)
Peel number NP Restoring force coating (adhesion of microstructures with substrat
NP e)
Adhesive force
Pixel px constant digital imaging (smallest addressable unit)
Plasma (physics) and Fusion power. Ratio of
Beta (plasma nk T plasma thermal pressure to magnetic pressure,
2 B
physics) B / 2 0 controlling the level of turbulence in a
magnetised plasma.
d trans elasticity (strain in transverse and longitudinal
Poisson's ratio
d axial direction)
V geology, porous media (void fraction of the
Porosity V
VT medium)
P
Power factor pf pf electrical (real power to apparent power)
S
Power P electronics (power consumption by
Np Np 3 5
number n d agitators; resistance force versus inertia force)
Prandtl c heat transfer (ratio of viscous diffusion rate
Pr Pr p
number k over thermal diffusion rate)
H r DTA e
C AS reaction engineering (ratio of heat evolution
Prater number β
Ts
e
to heat conduction within a catalyst pellet)[19]
p p aerodynamics, hydrodynamics (pressure experien
Pressure Cp
CP 1 ced at a point on an airfoil; dimensionless
coefficient V2
2 pressure variable)
Energy Storedphysics, engineering (damping of oscillator or res
Q factor Q Q 2 f r
Power Loss onator; energy stored versus energy lost)
Radian measu arc length / radius mathematics (measurement of planar angles, 1
rad
re radian = 180/π degrees)
Rayleigh g heat transfer (buoyancy versus viscous
Ra Ra x (Ts T ) x 3
number forces in free convection)
Refractive c electromagnetism, optics (speed of light in a
n n
index v vacuum over speed of light in a material)
substance hydrometers, material comparisons (ratio
Relative RD
RD of density of a material to a reference material—
density reference
usuallywater)
Relative magnetostatics (ratio of the permeability of a
r r
permeability 0 specific medium to free space)
Cx electrostatics (ratio of capacitance of
Relative r r test capacitor with dielectric material
permittivity C0
versus vacuum)
Reynolds vL fluid mechanics (ratio of
Re Re
number fluid inertial and viscous forces)
Richardson gh 1 fluid dynamics (effect of buoyancy on flow
Ri Ri 2 2
number u Fr stability; ratio of potential over kinetic energy)
Rockwell mechanical hardness (indentation hardness of a
– constant
scale material)
Rolling F
Crr vehicle dynamics (ratio of force needed for
resistance Crr
Nf motion of a wheel over the normal force)
coefficient
Roshko fL2
Ro Ro StRe fluid dynamics (oscillating flow, vortex shedding)
number
Rossby U
Ro Ro geophysics (ratio of inertial to Coriolis force)
number Lf
w sediment transport (ratio of the sediment fall
Rouse number P or Z P s
u* velocity and the upwards velocity of grain)
Schmidt mass transfer (viscous over
Sc Sc
number D molecular diffusion rate)
* boundary layer flow (ratio of displacement
Shape factor H H
thickness to momentum thickness)
Sherwood KL mass transfer (forced convection; ratio
Sh Sh
number D of convective to diffusive mass transport)
sediment transport (threshold of sediment
Shields * movement due to fluid motion;
parameter ( s ) gD
dimensionless shear stress)
2
Sommerfeld r N
S S hydrodynamic lubrication (boundary lubrication)
number c P
Specific
SG constant (same as Relative density)
gravity
Stanton h Nu heat transfer and fluid
St St
number c p V RePr dynamics (forced convection)
Stefan c p T phase change, thermodynamics (ratio of sensible
Ste Ste
number L heat to latent heat)
Stokes Stk or U o particles suspensions (ratio of
Stk
number Sk dc characteristic time of particle to time of flow)
Strain ò F materials science, elasticity (displacement
ò 1
X between particles in the body relative to a
reference length)
Strouhal St or L fluid dynamics (continuous and pulsating flow;
St
number Sr v nondimensional frequency)
B Lc Ha 2
2
magnetohydrodynamics (ratio
Stuart number N N
U Re of electromagnetic to inertial forces)
fluid dynamics (rotating fluid flows; inertial
Taylor 4 2 R 4
Ta Ta forces due to rotation of a fluid versus viscous
number 2 forces)
I optics, spectroscopy (the ratio of
Transmittance T T the intensities of radiation exiting through and
I0
incident on a sample)
H 2 wave mechanics (nonlinearity of surface gravity
Ursell number U U
h3 waves on a shallow fluid layer)
Pr porous media (governs the effects
Vadasz
Va Va of porosity the Prandtl number and the Darcy
number Da number on flow in a porous medium)
van 't Hoff i 1 (n 1)
i quantitative analysis (Kf and Kb)
factor
1
Wallis
j* 2 multiphase flows (nondimensional superficial
parameter j* R velocity)
Weaver flame w combustion (laminar burning velocity relative
Wea Wea 100
speed number wH to hydrogen gas)
Weber v 2l multiphase flow (strongly curved surfaces; ratio
We We
number of inertia to surface tension)
Weissenberg Wi viscoelastic flows (shear rate times the relaxation
Wi
number time)
1
biofluid mechanics (continuous and pulsating
Womersley 2 flows; ratio of pulsatile flow frequency to viscous
number R
effects)
Zel'dovich E T f To fluid dynamics, Combustion (Measure
number RT f T f of activation energy)