Results for ME 13N: The Great Principle of Similitude

The rules of dimensional analysis were formulated by Isaac Newton, who called it The Great Principle of Similitude. On its surface, it is a look at the relationships between physical quantities by exploring their basic units. In fact, it is a powerful and formalized method to analyze complex physical phenomena, including those for which we cannot pose, much less solve, governing equations. Valuable to engineers and scientists as it helps perform back-of-the- envelope estimates and derive scaling laws for the design of machines and processes, the principle has been applied to the study of complex phenomena in biology, aerodynamics, chemistry, social science, astrophysics, and economics. Focus is on tools to perform such analyses. Examples include estimating the running speed of a hungry velociraptor, the probability of serious injury in a car accident, the cost of submarines, and the energy released by an atomic weapon. Students identify problems in everyday life and/or current world events to analyze with this tool.