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What kind of quantity is the drag coefficient C used in the drag force equation?
AA quantity measured in newtons
BA dimensionless quantity with no units
CMeasured in meters per second
DA quantity measured in kilograms
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. A dimensionless quantity with no units
1. The source explicitly calls out this property of the drag coefficient.
2. It states that the drag coefficient is a dimensionless quantity.
3. Newtons, meters per second, and kilograms are all units carried by other quantities in the drag equation, such as force, velocity, and mass, not by C itself.
4. Because C has no units, it can be compared directly across very different shapes, from an airfoil to a bicycle.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 5 "Further Applications of Newton's Laws: Friction, Drag, and Elasticity", section 5.2 Drag Forces_
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