vorticity
Sign in to saveIn continuum mechanics, vorticity is a pseudovector (or axial vector) field that describes the local spinning motion of a continuum near some point (the tendency of something to rotate), as would be seen by an observer located at that point and traveling along with the flow. It is an important quantity in the dynamical theory of fluids and provides a convenient framework for understanding a variety of complex flow phenomena, such as the generation of lift on wings.
~15 min read
Encyclopedic overview
16 sectionsContents
- Mathematical definition and properties
- Examples
- Evolution
- Vortex lines and vortex tubes
- Vorticity meters
- Rotating-vane vorticity meter
- Specific sciences
- Aeronautics
- Atmospheric sciences
- See also
- Fluid dynamics
- Atmospheric sciences
- References
- Bibliography
- Further reading
- External links
In continuum mechanics, vorticity is a pseudovector (or axial vector) field that describes the local spinning motion of a continuum near some point (the tendency of something to rotate), as would be seen by an observer located at that point and traveling along with the flow. It is an important quantity in the dynamical theory of fluids and provides a convenient framework for understanding a variety of complex flow phenomena, such as the generation of lift on wings.
Mathematically, the vorticity \boldsymbol{\omega} is the curl of the flow velocity \mathbf v: \boldsymbol{\omega} \equiv \nabla \times \mathbf v\,,
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “vorticity” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.