In fluid dynamics, drag (sometimes called air resistance, a type of friction, or fluid resistance, another type of friction or fluid friction) is a force acting opposite to the relative motion of any object moving with respect to a surrounding fluid. This can exist between two fluid layers (or surfaces) or a fluid and a solid surface. Unlike other resistive forces, such as dry friction, which are nearly independent of velocity, drag force depends on velocity.

Drag force is proportional to the velocity for low-speed flow and the squared velocity for high speed flow, where the distinction between low and high speed is measured by the Reynolds number. Even though the ultimate cause of a drag is viscous friction, the turbulent drag is independent of viscosity.

Drag forces always tend to decrease fluid velocity relative to the solid object in the fluid's path.

 

Note:   The above text is excerpted from the Wikipedia article Drag (physics), which has been released under the GNU Free Documentation License.