Reynolds Number

In fluid mechanics, the Reynolds number (Re) is a dimensionless number that gives a measure of the ratio of inertial forces to viscous forces for given flow conditions. The Reynolds number is an important parameter that describes whether flow conditions lead to laminar or turbulent flow. Laminar flow occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers, with no disruption in the layers. Turbulent flow is a flow regime characterized by chaotic property changes. Real world systems are designed using models to simul