Dynamic Pressure
What is dynamic pressure ?
Dynamic pressure is that part of the total pressure which represents the fluid kinetic energy.
In many of the equations related to the study of aerodynamics we find the term
½ρV2, this is known as the dynamic pressure, but why?
If we look at the term dimensionally
- ½ is a constant and has no dimensions
- ρ is air density , it has dimensions of kg m-3
- V2 is the relative velocity of the oncoming air, it has dimensions of m2s-2
Pressure has dimensions of kg m-1 s-2.
If we multiply kg m-3 by m2s-2 we end up with dimensions of kg m-1 s-2, the dimensions of pressure.
So by dimensional analysis we can prove that we have calculated a pressure, but where does the ½ come from ?
Integration.
Calculating dynamic pressure.
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