Chapter 2, Problem 2.1E

To determine

The reason why the aerodynamic coefficient of drag of a formula one race is greater than an ordinary automobile.

Answer to Problem 2.1E

The aerodynamic drag coefficient of a formula one race car is often substantially higher than that of a regular car.

Explanation of Solution

The drag coefficient is a non-dimensional quantity that is used to assess an item's drag or resistance in a wet environment such as ambient air. The object will have substantially less aerodynamic drag if it has a low drag coefficient. The coefficient of drag is always proportional to the surface area.

The drag depends on many factors such as density, viscosity, compressibility, the square of the velocity, body inclination, and size.

The relationship between body form, inclination, air viscosity, and compressibility is complicated in general. This is represented by the drag equation. The drag is as follows:

$D=C_d\times \frac{\rho \times v^2}{2}\times A$

Where,

$C_d$ is the coefficient of discharge

$\rho$ is the density of the fluid in contact with the object

A is the reference area

V is the velocity of an object

From the above equation, it is observed that aerodynamic drag increases with the square of the speed. The speed of the formula one car is much greater than the speed of the ordinary automobile.