Question 13 Marks
Show that the Reynold's number represents the ratio of the inertial force per unit area to the viscous force per unit area.
Answer
View full question & answer→The physical significance of Reynold's number. Consider a narrow tube having a cross-sectional area A Suppose a fluid flows through it with a velocity v for a time interval $\Delta t$.
Length of the fluid $=$ Velocity $\times$ time $=v \Delta t$
The volume of the fluid flowing through the tube in time $\Delta t=A v \Delta t$
Mass of the fluid,
$
\Delta m=\text { Volume } \times \text { density }=Av \Delta t \times \rho
$
The inertial force acting per unit area of the fluid
$
\begin{aligned}
& =\frac{F}{A}=\frac{\text { Rate of change of momentum }}{A} \\
& =\frac{\Delta m \times v}{\Delta t \times A}=\frac{A v \Delta t \rho \times v}{\Delta t \times A}=\rho v^2
\end{aligned}
$
Viscous force per unit area of the fluid
$=\eta \times$ velocity gradient $=\eta \frac{v}{D}$
$
\frac{\text { Inertial force per unit area }}{\text { Viscous force per unit area }}=\frac{\rho v^2}{\eta v / D}=\frac{\rho v D}{\eta}=R_{e}
$
Thus Reynold's number represents the ratio of the inertial force per unit area to the viscous force per unit area.
Length of the fluid $=$ Velocity $\times$ time $=v \Delta t$
The volume of the fluid flowing through the tube in time $\Delta t=A v \Delta t$
Mass of the fluid,
$
\Delta m=\text { Volume } \times \text { density }=Av \Delta t \times \rho
$
The inertial force acting per unit area of the fluid
$
\begin{aligned}
& =\frac{F}{A}=\frac{\text { Rate of change of momentum }}{A} \\
& =\frac{\Delta m \times v}{\Delta t \times A}=\frac{A v \Delta t \rho \times v}{\Delta t \times A}=\rho v^2
\end{aligned}
$
Viscous force per unit area of the fluid
$=\eta \times$ velocity gradient $=\eta \frac{v}{D}$
$
\frac{\text { Inertial force per unit area }}{\text { Viscous force per unit area }}=\frac{\rho v^2}{\eta v / D}=\frac{\rho v D}{\eta}=R_{e}
$
Thus Reynold's number represents the ratio of the inertial force per unit area to the viscous force per unit area.
