The Svedberg coefficient is a nonlinear function.[1] A particle’s mass, density, and shape will determine its S value. It depends on the frictional forces retarding the particle’s movement, which in turn are related to the average cross-sectional area of the particle.[1]
The sedimentation coefficient is the ratio of the speed of a substance in a centrifuge to its acceleration in comparable units. A substance with a sedimentation coefficient of 26S (26×10−13 s) will travel at 26 micrometers per second (26×10−6 m/s) under the influence of an acceleration of a million gravities (107 m/s2). Centrifugal acceleration is given as rω2; where r is the radial distance from the rotation axis and ω is the angular velocity in radians per second.
Bigger particles tend to sediment faster and thus have higher svedberg values.
Note that Svedberg units are not directly additive, since they represent a rate of sedimentation, not weight.[1]