Matt Kleban (NYU) and I are finishing up a paper on the theoretical basis for sailing (yes sailing). One of our conclusions is that (large) sailboats are described by three dimensionless ratios: The sail-to-keel ratio, the ratio of the sail working force to the air drag force, and the ratio of the keel working force to the water drag force. We imagined today a phase diagram that shows the space of dimensionless ratios that permit, for example, upwind sailing. And sailing downwind faster than the wind. And sailing cross-wind faster than the wind. And so on.
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