Turbulence Can Occur without Inertia

摘要

Reynolds numbers describe the ratio between viscous forces and inertial forces for given fluids, with low Reynolds numbers being associated with laminar flow and high Reynolds numbers with turbulent flow. The 19th century physicist Osborne Reynolds suggested that the force that turns laminar flow into turbulent flow is inertia. Research led by engineers at the University of Pennsylvania now shows that transition to turbulence can occur without inertia.