Reynolds number: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos

A line graph plots drag coefficient versus Reynolds number on logarithmic axes, showing separate curves for spheres, cylinders, and disks, along with a line for Stokes's law. The graph illustrates how drag coefficient varies for each shape as Reynolds number increases, with labels marking the regions for each object type.

See All Images →

Topics

magnetic Reynolds number fluid flow Geostrophic motion laminar flow Navier-Stokes equation Stokes’s law Bernoulli’s theorem Torricelli’s law turbulent flow Froude number drag turbulence

Key People

default image

Osborne Reynolds

British engineer and physicist