Drag Force Calculator
Enter the fluid density (air or water), relative velocity, drag coefficient Cd and frontal cross-section A, and the tool returns the drag force Fd = ½·ρ·v²·Cd·A together with the minimum power P = Fd·v required to hold that speed. Useful for cycling, automotive, skydiving and ballistic scenarios.
Enter a valid density, velocity, drag coefficient and frontal area (all except velocity must be ≥ 0).
Drag force Fd
—
—
Force on the body in the direction opposing its motion.
Power to overcome drag
—
—
P = Fd · v — minimum power required to hold this speed (gravity, rolling and mechanical losses not included).
Drag force in other units
Formula
Fd = ½ · ρ · v² · Cd · A · P = Fd · v
Drag scales with v² — doubling speed quadruples the force and octuples the power. Cd varies with shape and Reynolds number; preset values are textbook typicals.
Formula
Fd = ½ · ρ · v² · Cd · A P = Fd · v
- · The drag equation is from the NASA Glenn Research Center and matches Hoerner, "Fluid-Dynamic Drag" (1965).
- · ρ defaults to ISA sea-level air, 1.225 kg/m³ at 15 °C; use 1000 kg/m³ for fresh water.
- · Cd depends on body shape and Reynolds number — presets use textbook typicals (sedan ~0.30, SUV ~0.45, box truck ~0.80, cyclist on drops ~0.88, belly-to-earth skydiver ~1.0, round parachute ~1.5).
- · v enters as v²: going from 30 km/h to 60 km/h quadruples the drag force and octuples the power — that is why high-speed driving burns fuel so quickly.
- · Frontal area A is the projection of the body onto the plane perpendicular to motion: ~0.3–0.5 m² for a cyclist, ~2.0–2.5 m² for a sedan, ~2.5–3.0 m² for an SUV.
- · The result is the fluid drag only; total resistance on a real vehicle also includes rolling resistance, gravity on climbs and mechanical losses.
Frequently asked
I don't know my drag coefficient — how do I pick one?
Use the "Body shape" preset — typical textbook and SAE values are: passenger sedan 0.28–0.32, SUV 0.40–0.50, box truck 0.70–0.90, upright cyclist 1.0–1.2, cyclist on the drops 0.85–0.90, full TT tuck 0.6–0.7, belly-to-earth skydiver ~1.0, head-down skydiver 0.5–0.7, round parachute 1.3–1.5, face-on flat plate ~1.28, smooth sphere ~0.47, streamlined fairing 0.04–0.10. For a specific car model you can look up the manufacturer-published Cd (e.g. Tesla Model 3 ≈ 0.23).
Why does drag set a top speed for a car or skydiver?
Because drag rises with v² and the power needed rises with v³, while an engine or human body has a finite power output. When propulsion power equals drag power, acceleration is zero and the speed is locked. For a 75 kg skydiver with Cd·A ≈ 0.7 m², setting Fd = mg ≈ 736 N gives Fd = ½·1.225·v²·0.7, so v ≈ 53 m/s ≈ 190 km/h — the textbook belly-to-earth terminal velocity. The same logic gives a 100 kW sedan (Cd ≈ 0.30, A ≈ 2.2 m²) a theoretical top speed of about 240 km/h: beyond that, drag eats all the available power.
Is this formula still accurate at very low or very high speeds?
The drag equation Fd = ½·ρ·v²·Cd·A is valid in the everyday Reynolds-number regime (≈ 10³–10⁶) — vehicles, cyclists, skydivers, sports balls. At very low Re (< 1, e.g. micro-organisms in water) viscous Stokes drag F = 6πμrv takes over. Near or above the speed of sound (M ≥ 0.3) air becomes compressible and Cd varies strongly with Mach number, so you need a drag-vs-Mach curve. The preset Cd values here assume the low-subsonic, Re ≈ 10⁴–10⁶ regime.
Related tools
Ohm's Law Calculator (V / I / R / P)
Enter any two of voltage, current, resistance, or power — the calculator solves for the other two using V = IR and P = VI.
Speed, Distance & Time Calculator
Enter any two of distance, time and speed to get the third — with km/h, mph, m/s, km, miles, hours and minutes supported.
Density Calculator (mass / volume)
Compute density from mass and volume (ρ = m / V), or solve for the missing variable. Built-in reference table for 19 common substances.
Projectile Motion Calculator
Enter launch speed, angle and height to compute projectile range, peak height and flight time (no air resistance). Pick from Earth, Moon, Mars and more.
Wind Chill Calculator
Compute the wind chill (feels-like temperature) from air temperature and wind speed using the 2001 Environment Canada / US NWS formula, with frostbite risk levels.
Dew Point Calculator
Compute dew point from air temperature and relative humidity using the Magnus formula — handy for HVAC, photography and weather analysis.
Kinetic Energy Calculator (KE = ½ m v²)
Compute kinetic energy KE = ½ m v² with mixed units (kg / g / lb and m/s / km/h / mph) and see the result in joules, kilojoules, food calories, foot-pounds and watt-hours.
Half-Life & Exponential Decay Calculator
Enter any three of initial amount, remaining amount, elapsed time and half-life to solve for the fourth — useful for radioactive decay, drug pharmacokinetics and radiometric dating.
Resistor Color Code Calculator (4 / 5 band)
Pick the colour bands and instantly read the resistance and tolerance — 4-band and 5-band notations supported, with Ω / kΩ / MΩ formatting and a closest E12 / E24 preferred-value check.
GPS Distance Calculator (Haversine)
Enter two latitude/longitude pairs to compute the great-circle distance using the haversine formula (km, miles, nautical miles), with bearing and midpoint.
Solution Dilution Calculator (C₁V₁ = C₂V₂)
Solve any one of C₁, V₁, C₂, V₂ from the dilution equation C₁V₁ = C₂V₂ — a daily lab essential for chemistry, biology and pharmacy work.
Decibel (dB) Sum Calculator
Two 80 dB sound sources do not equal 160 dB. Enter multiple dB values to compute the combined SPL, and subtract background noise to recover the signal alone.
Resistor Parallel / Series Calculator
Enter up to 8 resistor values to see the series total (R₁ + R₂ + …) and the parallel total (1 / Σ(1/Rᵢ)) at the same time.
Wavelength ↔ Frequency Calculator
Convert between electromagnetic wavelength and frequency via c = λf, with the matching spectrum band (radio / microwave / visible / X-ray / γ) and photon energy.
Tank Volume Calculator
Compute the capacity of vertical or horizontal cylindrical, rectangular and spherical tanks, including partial-fill volumes at a given liquid level.
Pendulum Period Calculator (T = 2π√L/g)
Enter the pendulum length and local gravity to get the period, frequency and angular frequency, with Earth/Moon/Mars/Jupiter presets — and reverse-solve for the length needed to hit a target period.
Heat Index Calculator
Enter air temperature and relative humidity to get the apparent temperature (NOAA Rothfusz heat index) and the corresponding heat-stress risk band.
Vehicle Stopping Distance Calculator
Enter speed, reaction time and road friction to estimate reaction, braking and total stopping distance.
Snell's Law Refraction Calculator
Enter the refractive indices of two media and an angle of incidence — get the refraction angle and critical angle from Snell's law (n₁ sin θ₁ = n₂ sin θ₂).
Capacitor Energy Calculator
Enter capacitance (F, mF, µF, nF, pF) and voltage to compute the stored energy (E = ½CV²) and charge (Q = CV) on a capacitor.
Boiling Point at Altitude Calculator
Enter altitude to compute the boiling point of water (°C / °F) and local air pressure using the ICAO standard atmosphere and the Antoine equation — useful for hiking, cooking and high-altitude baking.
Specific Heat (Q = mcΔT) Calculator
Solve Q = m × c × ΔT for any one of heat energy, mass, specific heat capacity or temperature change — with presets for water, aluminium, iron, copper, glass, air and more.
pH and Hydrogen Ion Concentration Calculator
Convert between pH, pOH, hydrogen-ion concentration [H⁺] and hydroxide concentration [OH⁻] — with acid / neutral / alkaline classification.
Ideal Gas Law (PV = nRT) Calculator
Pick the unknown (P, V, n or T), enter the other three and PV = nRT is solved instantly — works in Pa / kPa / atm / bar / mmHg / psi, m³ / L / mL, mol / mmol / kmol and K / °C / °F.
Coulomb's Law Calculator
Enter two point charges and the separation distance to compute the electrostatic force between them via F = kₑ·q₁·q₂/r² (attractive or repulsive).
Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation Calculator
Enter two masses and the distance between them to compute the gravitational attraction via F = G·m₁·m₂/r².
Thin Lens Equation Calculator
Given any two of the three quantities (object distance u, image distance v, focal length f), solve for the remaining one and the lateral magnification.
Distance to Horizon Calculator
Enter the observer eye height above the surface to compute the distance to the geometric and refraction-corrected horizon.
Hooke's Law (Spring Force) Calculator
Given any two of spring constant k, displacement x or restoring force F, solve for the third and the elastic potential energy U = ½kx².
Buoyancy Force (Archimedes' Principle) Calculator
Enter fluid density, submerged volume and gravitational acceleration to compute the buoyant force F = ρ V g, plus whether the object floats, sinks or stays neutral.
Voltage Divider Calculator
Enter the input voltage and two series resistor values to find the divider output voltage, current and power dissipated in each resistor.
Escape Velocity Calculator
Enter the mass and radius of a celestial body (or pick Earth, Moon, Mars and other presets) to compute the minimum surface launch speed v = √(2GM/r) needed to escape its gravity.
Newton's Law of Cooling Calculator
Enter initial temperature, ambient temperature, cooling constant and elapsed time to estimate an object's temperature with T(t) = T∞ + (T₀ − T∞)·e^(−kt), plus half-cooling time and time constant.
Centripetal Force Calculator
Enter mass and radius, then linear speed, angular speed or period, and instantly read off centripetal force F = m·v²/r, centripetal acceleration, tangential speed, angular speed, period and frequency.
LC Resonant Frequency Calculator
Enter inductance L (H) and capacitance C (F) to compute the resonant frequency f = 1 / (2π√(LC)) of an LC tank circuit, plus its period and angular frequency.
Speed of Sound in Air Calculator
Enter the air temperature and compute the speed of sound in dry air using v = 331.3 × √(1 + T/273.15) — output in m/s, km/h, mph, ft/s plus the "count-the-seconds" thunder distance rule.
Reynolds Number Calculator
Enter fluid density, velocity, characteristic length and viscosity to compute the Reynolds number and classify the flow as laminar, transitional or turbulent.
Spring Potential Energy Calculator
Enter the spring constant k and displacement x to instantly compute the elastic potential energy stored in a Hookean spring via U = ½·k·x², with conversions to kJ, kcal, ft·lbf and Wh for easy comparison.
Beer-Lambert Law Absorbance Calculator
Use A = ε·c·ℓ to compute absorbance, transmittance and concentration — any three of the four inputs determines the fourth.
Hydrostatic Pressure Calculator
Compute the hydrostatic pressure P = ρ·g·h from fluid density, depth and gravity, and convert it to kPa, bar, psi, atm, mmHg and metres of water — useful for diving, aquariums and piping.