SPLATS about fluid flow

SPLATS about fluid flow

For an explanation, see the main splats page

The principles of fluid flow

There are two sorts of fluid that we meet in daily life: gases and liquids. Each has the property that the particles are not closely bonded, so they can flow.
An object moving through a fluid experiences drag. Engineers design the shapes of aircraft, ships and vehicles to reduce drag and improve efficiency.
Laminar flow is more efficient than turbulent flow because turbulence absorbs energy, and so slows the fluid or the object passing through the fluid.
The pressure exerted by a moving fluid is described by Bernoulli's principle, which is rooted in the assumption that a fluid is made of separate particles.
Animals which rely on swimming or flying fast to catch food or to avoid being food, have evolved streamlined bodies that produce a laminar flow and reduce drag.
The relative speed of a fluid may be measured with a Pitot tube, which uses the pressure detected to deduce the velocity of the fluid (or the tube).

This file is http://members.ozemail.com.au/~macinnis/scifun/, first created on February 20, 2009. Last recorded revision (well I get lazy and forget sometimes!) was on February 20, 2009.

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