Enter the drag coefficient, air density, velocity, and frontal area into the calculator to determine the thrust required for an object moving through air.
Thrust Required Formula
The following formula is used to calculate the thrust required for an object moving through air:
TR = 0.5 * Cd * ρ * V² * A
Variables:
- TR is the thrust required (N)
- Cd is the drag coefficient (dimensionless)
- ρ is the air density (kg/m³)
- V is the velocity (m/s)
- A is the frontal area (m²)
To calculate the thrust required, multiply 0.5 by the drag coefficient, air density, the square of the velocity, and the frontal area.
What is Thrust Required?
Thrust required is the force that must be generated to overcome the drag force acting on an object moving through a fluid, such as air. It is a critical parameter in the design and operation of aircraft, rockets, and other vehicles, as it determines the power needed to maintain a certain velocity during flight or motion.
How to Calculate Thrust Required?
The following steps outline how to calculate the Thrust Required:
- First, determine the drag coefficient (Cd) of the object.
- Next, determine the air density (ρ) in kg/m³.
- Next, determine the velocity (V) of the object in m/s.
- Next, determine the frontal area (A) of the object in m².
- Next, gather the formula from above = TR = 0.5 * Cd * ρ * V² * A.
- Finally, calculate the Thrust Required (TR) in Newtons (N).
- After inserting the variables and calculating the result, check your answer with the calculator above.
Example Problem:
Use the following variables as an example problem to test your knowledge.
Drag Coefficient (Cd) = 0.05
Air Density (ρ) = 1.225 kg/m³
Velocity (V) = 50 m/s
Frontal Area (A) = 2 m²
