What are Fluids?
A fluid is a substance that is able to flow and takes the form of its container. In a broader sense, it is of two types: liquid and gas. Liquids are incompressible and have a definite volume, while gases are compressible and do not have a definite volume. Water, air, and oil are some examples of fluids occurring in nature.
Characteristics of Fluids
- A fluid can flow and fill up the shape of the container.
- These materials could be either compressible or incompressible.
- They have a constant volume or have a volume that can change.
- The states in which they can exist are liquid, gas, or plasma.
Classification of Fluids
Fluids can be broadly classified into the following main types based on their physical properties and behavior:
- Liquids: Incompressible fluids of a definite volume that take the shape of their container. Examples include water, oil, and mercury.
- Gases: Fluids with a variable volume that would expand to fill the container completely and take its shape. Common examples include air, oxygen, and nitrogen.
- Plasmas: Plasmas are ionized gases that possess electrical conductivity. Examples include the solar wind and the ionosphere.
- Two-phase fluids: Mixtures of vapours and liquids, for example, steam and its vapours in the air above boiling water.
Fluid Mechanics
Fluid mechanics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of fluids and their behavior under different conditions. All the fluids are substances that can flow and take the shape of their container. This article is an introduction to basic ideas of fluid mechanics, including the properties, classifications, principles, and applications of fluid mechanics.
Table of Content
- What are Fluids?
- What is Fluid Mechanics?
- Formulas of Fluid Mechanics
- Bernoulli’s equation
- Pascal’s law
- Applications of Fluid Mechanics