ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Ursell number

Okay, so you know how there are lots of different types of animals in the world? Well, some animals are really really small, like tiny bugs, and some animals are really really big, like elephants. Now, imagine you have a big animal and a tiny bug, and you want to know which of them is stronger.

That's where the Ursell number comes in! Scientists made up this number to help them compare how strong different animals are based on their size.

Here's how it works: imagine you have a big animal, and you want to find out how much pressure it can create just by moving around in the water. Now, divide that pressure by the animal's weight, and you get the Ursell number.

So basically, the Ursell number tells us how strong an animal is compared to its size. A really strong animal, like a shark or a dolphin, will have a high Ursell number, because they can create a lot of pressure even though they're not that heavy.

And that's what the Ursell number is all about! It helps scientists compare how strong different animals are based on their size, and figure out which animals are the strongest overall.