Maths: How Speed and Load Change Fuel Consumption

Multivariable functional relationships describe how one quantity depends on several changing variables at once. Here, fuel consumption is modelled as F = k × S² / W, where F rises with the square of speed but falls as load weight increases. Speed and load therefore pull consumption in opposite directions, and the constant k anchors the model to real test data. Understanding this matters because such equations underpin predictions about cost, efficiency and emissions, and each variable's influence must be read directly from its position in the formula.