LIST OF DIMENSIONLESS NUMBER

Name Symbol Definition Field of application

Abbe number V optics (dispersion in optical materials)

Activity chemistry (Proportion of "active" molecules or
coefficient atoms)
climatology, astronomy (reflectivity of surfaces
Albedo
or bodies)
Archimedes fluid mechanics (motion of fluids due
Ar
number to density differences)
Arrhenius chemistry (ratio of activation energy to thermal
number energy)[1]
Atomic chemistry (mass of atom over one atomic mass
M
weight unit, u, where carbon-12 is exactly 12 u)
Atwood fluid mechanics (onset of instabilities
A
number in fluid mixtures due to density differences)
fluid mechanics, geology (ratio of grain collision
Bagnold
Ba stresses to viscous fluid stresses in flow of
number
a granular material such as grain and sand)[2]
Bejan number
fluid mechanics (dimensionless pressure drop
(fluid Be
along a channel)[3]
mechanics)
Bejan number thermodynamics (ratio of heat
(thermodyna Be transfer irreversibility to total irreversibility due
mics) to heat transfer and fluidfriction)[4]
Bingham fluid mechanics, rheology (ratio of yield stress to
Bm
number viscous stress)[1]
heat transfer (surface vs. volume conductivity of
Biot number Bi
solids)
geology, fluid mechanics, porous media (inertial
Bl or
Blake number over viscous forces in fluid flow through porous
B
media)
Bodenstein Bo or chemistry (residence-time distribution; similar to
number Bd the axial mass transfer Peclet number)[5]
geology, fluid mechanics, porous
Bond number Bo media (buoyant versus capillary forces, similar to
the Etvs number) [6]
Brinkman heat transfer, fluid mechanics (conduction from a
Br
number wall to a viscous fluid)
Brownell fluid mechanics (combination of capillary
NBK
Katz number number and Bond number) [7]
Capillary porous media, fluid mechanics (viscous
Ca
number forces versus surface tension)
Chandrasekha magnetohydrodynamics (ratio of the Lorentz
Q
r number force to the viscosity in magnetic convection)
Colburn J JM, J turbulence; heat, mass, and momentum transfer
factors H, JD (dimensionless transfer coefficients)
Coefficient of
mechanics (friction of solid bodies
kinetic
in translational motion)
friction
Coefficient of
mechanics (friction of solid bodies at rest)
static friction
Coefficient of statistics (proportion of variance explained by
determination a statistical model)
Coefficient of statistics (ratio of standard
variation deviation to expectation)
Chemical engineering, material science,
Cohesion
Coh mechanics (A scale to show the energy needed
number
for detaching two solid particles)
Correlation or r statistics (measure of linear dependence)
Cost of energy efficiency, economics (ratio of energy
COT
transport input to kinetic motion)
Courant
mathematics (numerical solutions of hyperbolic
Friedrich C or
PDEs)[8]
Levy number
Damkohler chemistry (reaction time scales vs. residence
Da
number time)
Damping ratio mechanics (the level of damping in a system)
fluid mechanics (fraction of pressure losses due
Darcy friction Cf or f
to friction in a pipe; four times the Fanning
factor D
friction factor)
porous media (ratio of permeability to cross-
Darcy number Da
sectional area)
Dean number D turbulent flow (vortices in curved ducts)
Deborah
De rheology (viscoelastic fluids)
number
acoustics, electronics, control theory (ratio of
Decibel dB
two intensities or powers of a wave)
Drag aeronautics, fluid dynamics (resistance to fluid
cd
coefficient motion)
colloid science (ratio of electric surface
Dukhin
Du conductivity to the electric bulk conductivity
number
in heterogeneoussystems)
convective heat
Eckert
Ec transfer (characterizes dissipation of energy; ratio
number
of kinetic energy to enthalpy)
Ekman
Ek geophysics (viscous versus Coriolis forces)
number
Elasticity economics (response
E
(economics) of demand or supply to price changes)
Etvs
Eo fluid mechanics (shape of bubbles or drops)
number
Ericksen fluid dynamics (liquid crystal flow
Er
number behavior; viscous over elastic forces)
hydrodynamics (stream pressure versus inertia for
Euler number Eu
ces)
Euler's
e mathematics (base of the natural logarithm)
number
Excess
heat transfer, fluid dynamics (change in internal
temperature
energy versus kinetic energy)[9]
coefficient
fluid mechanics (fraction of pressure losses due
Fanning
f to friction in a pipe; 1/4th the Darcy friction
friction factor
factor)[10]
Feigenbaum
chaos theory (period doubling)[11]
constants
quantum electrodynamics (QED) (coupling
Fine structure
constant characterizing the strength of
constant
the electromagnetic interaction)
optics, photography (ratio of focal
f-number f
length to diameter of aperture)
Fpplvon
Krmn virology, solid mechanics (thin-shell buckling)
number
Fourier heat transfer, mass transfer (ratio of diffusive rate
Fo
number versus storage rate)
Fresnel
F optics (slit diffraction)[12]
number
Froude fluid mechanics (wave and surface behaviour;
Fr
number ratio of a body's inertia to gravitational forces)
Gain electronics (signal output to signal input)
bicycling (system of representing gearing; length
Gain ratio
traveled over length pedaled)[13]
Galilei fluid
Ga
number mechanics (gravitational over viscous forces)
mathematics, aesthetics (long side length of self-
Golden ratio
similar rectangle)
Grtler fluid dynamics (boundary layer flow along a
G
number concave wall)
heat transfer, fluid mechanics (laminar
Graetz
Gz flow through a conduit; also used in mass
number
transfer)
Grashof heat transfer, natural convection (ratio of
Gr
number the buoyancy to viscous force)
Gravitational gravitation (attraction between
coupling two massy elementary particles; analogous to
constant the Fine structure constant)
 chemical engineering (adsorption enhancement
Hatta number Ha
due to chemical reaction)
heat transfer (ratio of
Hagen
Hg the buoyancy to viscous force in forced
number
convection)
Havnes In Dusty plasma physics, ratio of the total the
parameter number density of particles
Hydraulic fluid mechanics, groundwater flow (pressure
i
gradient head over distance)
Iribarren wave mechanics (breaking surface gravity
Ir
number waves on a slope)
chemistry (ratio of sensible to latent
Jakob number Ja energy absorbed during liquid-vapor phase
change)[14]
Karlovitz turbulent combustion (characteristic flow time
Ka
number times flame stretch rate)
Keulegan
fluid dynamics (ratio of drag force to inertia for a
Carpenter KC
bluff object in oscillatory fluid flow)
number
gas dynamics (ratio of the molecular mean free
Knudsen
Kn path length to a representative physical length
number
scale)
medicine (hemodialysis and peritoneal
Kt/V Kt/V
dialysis treatment; dimensionless time)
Kutateladze fluid mechanics (counter-current two-phase
Ku
number flow)[15]
fluid dynamics (free
Laplace
La convection within immiscible fluids; ratio
number
of surface tension to momentum-transport)
heat and mass transfer (ratio of thermal to mass
Lewis number Le
diffusivity)
Lift aerodynamics (lift available from an airfoil at a
CL
coefficient given angle of attack)
Lockhart
two-phase flow (flow of wet
Martinelli
gases; liquid fraction)[16]
parameter
Love numbers h, k, l geophysics (solidity of earth and other planets)
Lundquist plasma physics (ratio of a resistive time to
S
number an Alfvn wave crossing time in a plasma)
M or gas dynamics (compressible flow;
Mach number
Ma dimensionless velocity)
Magnetic
magnetohydrodynamics (ratio of
Reynolds Rm
magnetic advection to magnetic diffusion)
number
Manning
roughness n open channel flow (flow driven by gravity)[17]
coefficient
 fluid mechanics (Marangoni flow;
Marangoni
Mg thermal surface tension forces
number
over viscous forces)
Morton g c4 fluid dynamics (determination
Mo Mo
number 2
c
3
of bubble/drop shape)
Nusselt hd heat transfer (forced convection; ratio
Nu Nu
number k of convective to conductive heat transfer)
Ohnesorge We fluid dynamics (atomization of
Oh Oh
number L Re liquids, Marangoni flow)
du c p heat transfer (advectiondiffusion problems;
Pclet 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 DTAC AS
e
reaction engineering (ratio of heat evolution
Prater number
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/ degrees)
Rayleigh g heat transfer (buoyancy versus viscous
Ra Ra x (Ts T ) x3
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)
Relative substance hydrometers, material comparisons (ratio
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
number u 2
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)
Shields sediment transport (threshold of sediment
* movement due to fluid motion;
parameter ( s ) gD
dimensionless shear stress)
r N
2
Sommerfeld
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)
 F
materials science, elasticity (displacement
Strain 1 between particles in the body relative to a
X 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 42 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 2 multiphase flows (nondimensional superficial
parameter
j* 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
number R flows; ratio of pulsatile flow frequency to viscous
effects)
Zel'dovich E T f To fluid dynamics, Combustion (Measure

number RT f T f of activation energy)