A modified linear drag induced deceleration using a transformation of Newton’s second equation of motion

Abstract

The drag force exerted on a body moving in a fluid is empirically known to follow a linear drag law at low Reynolds numbers and a quadratic drag law at very high Reynolds numbers. The major challenge with the empirical description of the drag lies in the uncertainty of the description of the drag coefficient as a function of velocity. If the function is precisely known, it may be possible to find a general formula for the drag, which would, in principle, be applicable for all Reynolds numbers. The general law can consequently be tested using the linear and quadratic drag laws within their validity regimes to confirm its reliability and validity. The current absence of such a general law implies that the prediction of the dynamics of a body moving under drag forces in the intermediate regime of the Reynolds number can only be approximate and inaccurate since it is not guided by any valid law. In this study, we derive a general relation for the drag force, which may be applicable in all the Reynolds number regimes. We achieve this through a simple transformation of Newton’s second equation for uniformly decelerated motion. It turns out that our general relation is a modification of the linear drag law. The effect of the introduced correction term in the dynamics of a projectile is evidently promising, as can be seen in the more realistic results generated.