drag coefficient"A dimensionless ratio of the component of force parallel to the direction of flow (drag) exerted on a body by a fluid to the kinetic energy of the fluid multiplied by a characteristic surface area of the body.
When this is less than about 10, the drag coefficient rises when the flow changes from turbulent to laminar, and is equal to 24/Re. With this value of C, we find a terminal velocity of V = 112.3r2 m/s, again with r in mm.
The magnitude of the drag force is directly proportional to the product of the vehicle's crosssectional area, its drag coefficient, its velocity, and the atmospheric density, and inversely proportional to its mass.
The drag coefficient CD is proportional to an experimentally determined power of the Reynolds number. At speeds approaching that of sound, an additional source of drag arises out of the formation of shock waves.
 See also: Force, Earth, Air, Water, Wind
  
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