While reading on [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Froude_number), I read the following > _The Froude number is defined as:_ > >$$\mathrm{Fr} = \frac{v}{c}$$ > > _where $v$ is a characteristic velocity, and $c$ is a characteristic water wave propagation >velocity. The Froude number is thus analogous to the Mach number. The greater the Froude >number, the greater the resistance._ While reading the following [paper](http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic1191136.files/solitons-intro.pdf) on shallow water waves, I could not understand how/why the Froude number was given to be $$\mathrm{F} = \frac{gt_0^2}{L}$$ Where $t_0$ is the time scale, and $L$ is the length scale along the X and Z axes. Note that the scale for the amplitude of the surface above the mean depth is some other $A$ and not $L$. Please explain how the author has defined the Froude number. Is it the same as the one given on Wikipedia? If so, then please provide a step-by-step reasoning to show that they are indeed the same. If not, then please explain what the Froude number mentioned in the paper represents.