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- Motion of a fluid is described by considering
- the velocity and density at each position at each
- point in time. To study the motion, the fluid can
- be broken down into small fluid particles. For
- fluids with a steady flow,the velocity of each
- point does not change with time, i.e. the same
- magnitude and direction of motion.
- This flow of particles therefore defines a path known
- as a streamline.
- Streamlines cannot cross each other, or
- particles leaving a point could have two
- possible velocities and not all particles would
- leave with the required identical velocity. A slow
- moving fluid is represented by widely spaced
- streamlines, while a fast moving fluid is represented
- by narrowly spaced streamlines. The fluid as a whole
- can be represented as a bundle of streamlines, defining
- a tube of flow. No particles of the fluid can cross the
- boundary of the tube of flow, and the fluid must follow
-
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