Laplace Length -- from Eric Weisstein's World of Physics

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Laplace Length

The maximum radius a falling drop can have without breaking apart. Let P be the pressure difference between the inside and outside, then

(1)

where is the surface tension, is the surface energy, V is the potential energy, and R is the radius of the drop. The ram pressure associated with falling is

(2)

where is the drag coefficient, is the density of air, and v is the speed of fall. This gives

(3)

where g is the gravitational acceleration, so

(4)

Drop, Ram Pressure


© 1996-2007 Eric W. Weisstein

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