A dimensionless number, We, used in thin film gas–liquid flows where surface tension has a major effect on the strongly curved interface between two fluids such as in the formation of droplets and bubbles. It is a measure of the relation between surface tension and gravity forces:
where ρ is the density of the fluid, v is the velocity, l is the characteristic dimension such as droplet diameter, and σ is the surface tension. It is named after German engineer Moritz Weber (1871–1951).