Similarity and dimensional analysis
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Sterrett, Susan G. Similarity and dimensional analysis. In: Philosophy of technology and engineering sciences, ed. by Anthonie Mejers. Amsterdam: Elsevier/North-Hollad, 2009, pp.799-823
Abstract
The importance of similarity in comprehending things and reasoning about them was recognized before the time of Plato. Similarity continues to be important in philosophy, science, and technology to this day. The historical roots of the concepts of similarity, ratio and proportion will be accorded a brief mention in this article order to provide a fuller understanding of the relationship between dimensionless parameters and reasoning from similarity. The main topic of this article, however, is the use of dimensional analysis in similarity-based reasoning in current contexts.