Rossby Number

Written by Jerry Ratzlaff on 02 December 2019. Posted in Dimensionless Numbers

Rossby number, abbreviated as Ro, a dimensionless number, is used to describe fluid flow. It is the ratio of internal forces to Voriolis force.

\(\large{ Ro = \frac{ U }{ l \; f } }\)

Where:

\(\large{ Ro }\) = Rossby number

\(\large{ U }\) = characteristic velocity

\(\large{ f }\) = Coriolis frequency

\(\large{ l }\) = length scale of the phenomenon