Equation 7 · Part 13 · The Logistics Tail: Sustainment as the Binding Constraint on Organised Force
Denominator: 2f
What this part means
The complete quantity below the fraction bar; it must be nonzero for this division.
Its job in the formula
2f occurs below the fraction bar. The quantity above the bar is divided by this expression; zero is excluded as a denominator.
Full expression→Denominator: 2f→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.