Thread: reynolds number
View Single Post
  #3  
Old August 30th 09, 04:42 AM posted to rec.aviation.homebuilt
jerry wass
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 180
Default reynolds number

Fred the Red Shirt wrote:
Sorry, Google won't let me post this as a follow-up.

In the broadest sense, the reynolds number is a measure of the
degree of turbulence. A low reynolds number corresponds to
laminar flow while a high reynolds number corresponds to turbulent
flow. However, as turbulence is fundamentally a chaotic
phenomenon, it is possible to maintain laminar flow at a higher
reynolds number until a perturbation initiates the turbulence.

The reynolds number is important for determining boundary layer
separation, drag and convective heat transfer coefficients.

If Reynolds is a woman, I'd like to have her number too..