Formula for Hydrodynamic Lift

Theorem

The following formula can be used in hydrodynamics to calculate an estimate of the lift on a body $B$ passing through a fluid $F$ (usually air):

$L = c \rho A v^2$

where:

$L$ is the lift on $B$

$A$ is a representative area of $B$, such as the area of a wing or hydrofoil

$\rho$ is the density of $F$

$v$ is the speed of $B$ through $F$

$c$ is a coefficient which depends on the circulation of $F$ around $B$, and is a function of the Reynolds number.

Proof

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Sources

• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): lift
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): lift