Equation 7 · Part 11 · The Logistics Tail: Sustainment as the Binding Constraint on Organised Force
Numerator: 2rf
What this part means
The complete quantity above the fraction bar.
Its job in the formula
2rf occurs above the fraction bar. The numerator is divided by the entire denominator below it.
Full expression→Numerator: 2rf→Article meaning
The passage around this formula
The structural consequence is a hard radius rather than a gradual decline. Consider a schematic model, offered to expose an assumption rather than to reproduce any historical campaign. A transport team departs a base carrying load , consumes f units of that same load per day for its own animals, and covers v units of distance per day. To reach a force at radius r and return, it is on the road for 2r/v days, so the load it can actually hand over is . Beyond the convoy arrives having eaten everything it set out with. Adding a second convoy to supply the first does not defeat the limit; it recurses, and the tonnage required grows far faster than the tonnage…
Learn the underlying idea
A fraction a/b means a divided by b. The top number is the numerator; the bottom number is the denominator, and it cannot be zero.
Open the illustrated fractions: division written vertically guide →
Sources cited in the article section
- [4] Collections: Logistics, How Did They Do It, Part I: The Problem ↗
- [1] Supplying War: Logistics from Wallenstein to Patton ↗
- [2] The history of logistics and supplying war ↗
- [3] Some Thoughts on van Creveld's "Supplying War" ↗
These citations provide research context; check each source for the exact claim it supports.