![]() ![]() In this way, he did not have to worry about all the many complications that are present in real examples of fluid flow. For his research, Bernoulli imagined a completely nonviscous and incompressible or "ideal" fluid. Swiss mathematician Daniel Bernoulli (1700–1782) was the first person to study fluid flow mathematically. Fluid flow conceptsīernoulli's principle. Shock waves are produced, resulting in the sonic booms heard when an airplane exceeds the speed of sound.Īircraft designers have to take differences in fluid behavior at different Mach numbers into account when designing planes that take off and climb to altitude at speeds in the subsonic (less than the speed of sound) region, then pass through the transonic (about equal to the speed of sound) region, and cruise at speeds in the supersonic region. For example, when an airplane flies at a speed greater than the speed of sound, sound waves are not able to "get out of the way" of the airplane. The Mach number is especially important in the field of fluid dynamics because fluids flow around an object in quite different ways. The Mach number is named after Austrian physicist and philosopher Ernst Mach (1838–1916), who pioneered the study of supersonic (faster than sound) travel. In that case, the Mach number of the airplane would be 380 miles per hour divided by 760 miles per hour (380 mph ÷ 760 mph) or 0.5. Imagine an airplane flying just above the ocean at a speed of 380 miles per hour (170 meters per second). For example, the speed of sound in air at sea level at a temperature of 59☏ (15☌) is about 760 miles per hour (340 meters per second). The Mach number is a measurement used in fluid dynamics that compares the velocity of an object traveling through a fluid to the speed of sound in that fluid. Also, for incompressible fluids, the effects of temperature changes can be neglected. Fortunately for automobile designers, at speeds less than about 220 miles (350 kilometers) per hour, air can be treated as incompressible for all practical purposes. Flow patterns in compressible fluids are more complicated and difficult to study than those in incompressible ones. Water, for instance, is less viscous than honey, which explains why water flows more easily than does honey.Īll gases are compressible, whereas liquids are practically incompressible that is, they cannot be squeezed into smaller volumes. Viscosity is the amount of internal friction or resistance to flow. Three characteristics of the fluid are of special importance: viscosity, density, and compressibility. Factors that influence flowįlow patterns in a fluid (gas or liquid) depend on three factors: the characteristics of the fluid, the speed of flow, and the shape of the solid surface. Apart from the more familiar cases, the principles of fluid dynamics can be used to understand an almost unimaginable variety of phenomena such as the flow of blood in blood vessels, the flight of geese in V-formation, and the behavior of underwater plants and animals. Hydrodynamics deals with the flow of water in various situations such as in pipes, around ships, and underground. Aerodynamics is the study of the way air flows around airplanes and automobiles with the aim of increasing the efficiency of motion. The field of fluid dynamics is often subdivided into aerodynamics and hydrodynamics. Scientists today use models of fluid behavior and powerful computers to analyze and interpret those data. ![]() The data collected from wind tunnel studies and other experiments are often very complex. Smoke is added to the air stream so that the flow of air can be observed and photographed. A wind tunnel is an enclosed space in which air can be made to flow over a surface, such as the model of an airplane. Scientists use both experiments and mathematical models and calculations to understand fluid dynamics. It also can be used in the design of ships to increase the speed with which they travel through water. For example, fluid dynamics can be used to analyze the flow of air over an airplane wing or over the surface of an automobile. Fluid dynamics is the study of the flow of liquids and gases, usually in and around solid surfaces. ![]()
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