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Turbulent Flow is MORE Awesome Than Laminar Flow

Turbulent Flow is MORE Awesome Than Laminar Flow
Turbulent Flow is MORE Awesome Than Laminar Flow

Turbulent Flow

This is the reason for the dimples on golf balls. Flow transitioning to turbulence in the wake of a bluff body can create periodic vortex shedding. This beautiful phenomenon can be seen in the von Kàrmàn vortex street in clouds viewed from space. Turbulence is everywhere, in the air currents in a room, in your aorta, in the breaths you exhale, in oil pipelines and water pipes, in the flow over cars and ships and planes. Animals have evolved for it (like dead fish swimming up stream) and we have engineered our environment, our planes and golf balls for it. Laminar flow may be nice to look at (which is why we use it in decorative fountains) but turbulent flow does the real lifting.

Credit Vertasium

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