Table of Contents
Ideal fluid
The motion of real fluids is very complicated. To understand fluid dynamics in a simpler manner, we assume that the fluid is ideal. An ideal fluid is one which is non-viscous, incompressible, and its flow is steady and irrotational. Thus, an ideal fluid has the following features connected with its flow:
(i) Steady flow:
In a steady flow, the fluid velocity at each point does not change with time, either in magnitude or direction.
(ii) Incompressible flow:
The density of the fluid remains constant during its flow.
(iii) Non-viscous flow:
The fluid offers no internal friction. An object moving through this fluid does not experience a retarding force.
(iv) Irrotational flow:
This means that there is no angular momentum of the fluid about any point. A very small wheel placed at any point inside such a fluid does not rotate about its centre of mass