Quote:
Originally Posted by gtkid2002
So just curious, but would creating a body that is wider but significantly smoother than the original body result in about the same drag?
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We usually see drag expressed as a coefficient. In order to see its actual effect, the force it puts on something, you have to multiply that coefficient by the cross-sectional area of the shape. Which is why you will often see "CdA" referred to; this is the Coefficient of Drag times the Area.
If you look at that as an equation (Cd * A), you can see that increasing the area and decreasing the coefficient can give you a smaller total. Or a larger total, depending on how much of a decrease to the one and how much of an increase to the other.
-soD