Equation 7 · Part 2 · The Logistics Tail: Sustainment as the Binding Constraint on Organised Force
Symbol r
What this part means
the radius.
Its job in the formula
r occurs above the fraction bar. The numerator is divided by the entire denominator below it.
Full expression→Symbol r→Article meaning
Where the article explains it
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 .
The passage around this formula
…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…
Learn the underlying idea
A variable is a named place for a value. Its letter is a local label: x can mean position in one formula and a data point in another.
Open the illustrated variables: a letter stands for a value guide →
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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.