The hulls of swan (above) and raven (below). A sequence of 3, 6 and 12 (shown in the picture) foot scale models constucted by Froude and used in towing trials to establish resistance and scaling laws. Ravens sharp prow followed the "waveline" theory of John Scot Russell, but Swans blunter profile proved to offer lower resistance

William Froude (November 28, 1810, Dartington, Devon, England - May 4, 1879, Simonstown, South Africa ) was an engineer, hydrodynamicist and naval architect, and the brother of James Anthony Froude, a historian.

Froude was the first to formulate reliable laws for the resistance that water offers to ships and for predicting their stability. He was educated at Oxford. In 1837 he was assistant to Isambard Kingdom Brunel on the Bristol and Exeter Railway. His is remembered in fluid dynamics by the Froude number named after him.

External links

• http://www.btinternet.com/~philipr/froude.htm
• http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/Biographies/MainBiographies/F/Froude/1.html