Shock Tubes: Tools for Studying High-Speed Gas Dynamics
A shock tube is a laboratory device used to generate and study shock waves and high-speed gas flows under controlled
Compressible Flow: When Air Density Can No Longer Be Ignored
Compressible flow refers to fluid motion in which changes in fluid density are significant, typically occurring when a gas moves
Knudsen Number: When to Treat Gas Flow as a Continuum
The Knudsen number (Kn) is a dimensionless quantity used in fluid mechanics and gas dynamics to determine whether a gas
Stokes’ Law: Drag on a Sphere in Viscous Flow
Stokes’ Law describes the drag force experienced by a small spherical object moving slowly through a viscous fluid. It applies
Archimedes’ Principle: Buoyancy and Displaced Fluid
Archimedes’ Principle is a fundamental law of physics that explains why objects float or sink in a fluid. It states
Buoyant Force: The Upward Push from Fluids
Buoyant force is the upward force exerted by a fluid on an object that is either fully or partially submerged
Rayleigh–Bénard Convection: Patterns in Heated Fluids
Rayleigh–Bénard convection is a phenomenon that describes how ordered, often hexagonal patterns form in a fluid layer when it is
Marangoni Effect: Flow Driven by Surface Tension Differences
The Marangoni effect refers to the movement of fluid along an interface caused by a gradient in surface tension. When
Surface Tension: The Invisible Skin of a Liquid
Surface tension is a physical property of liquids that arises from the cohesive forces between molecules, especially those at the
Navier–Stokes Equations: The Foundation of Fluid Motion
The Navier–Stokes equations are a set of fundamental mathematical equations that describe the motion of viscous fluid substances, such as