In hydrodynamics, "entrainment" refers to the process by which a fluid (such as water) picks up and incorporates small volumes of another fluid (or gas) or particles from its surroundings. This phenomenon is commonly observed in various natural and engineered systems, including rivers, ocean currents, and industrial processes.
The Elsasser number (Λ) is a dimensionless parameter used in magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) to characterize the relative significance of magnetic forces compared to viscous forces in a conducting fluid. It is defined as the ratio of the magnetic pressure to the viscous stress in the fluid.
The Ekman number (Ek) is a dimensionless quantity in fluid dynamics that characterizes the relative importance of the viscous forces to the Coriolis forces in a rotating fluid system.
The term "effusive limit" usually pertains to the context of volcanic activity. It refers to the boundary or threshold at which magma begins to flow out of a volcano in a relatively non-explosive manner, resulting in an effusive eruption. These eruptions typically produce lava flows instead of explosive ash clouds, and they occur when the viscosity of the magma is low enough to allow it to flow freely.
The Eckert number (Ec) is a dimensionless quantity used in fluid mechanics and heat transfer to characterize the relative importance of thermal energy storage to the convective heat transfer in a flowing fluid. It is defined as the ratio of kinetic energy to thermal energy associated with the temperature changes in the fluid.
Drag area, often denoted as \(S\) or \(A\), is a term used in aerodynamics and fluid dynamics to describe a specific cross-sectional area of an object that contributes to its drag force when it moves through a fluid, such as air or water.
The discharge coefficient (often denoted as \( C_d \)) is a dimensionless number used in fluid dynamics to characterize the flow through an orifice, nozzle, or other flow constrictions. It represents the efficiency of the flow as it passes through a restriction relative to the theoretical flow predicted by Bernoulli's equation.
The Diffuse Element Method (DEM) is a computational technique used primarily for solving partial differential equations (PDEs) in engineering and physics contexts. It is a mesh-free method, meaning it does not require a traditional mesh to discretize the problem domain. Instead, it utilizes a set of scattered points within the domain and interpolates the field variables at these points using diffuse or radial basis functions.
Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) is a hybrid computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach used to simulate turbulent flows. It combines elements of both Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and Large Eddy Simulation (LES) methodologies to effectively model the behavior of turbulence in various flow scenarios, particularly in complex geometries where both attached and detached flow regions can exist.
"Dead water" generally refers to a phenomenon observed in maritime navigation, particularly in the context of river or coastal waters. It describes a condition where a body of water becomes unusually still or stagnant, affecting vessel movement. This phenomenon can result from various factors, including: 1. **Density Differences**: Dead water can occur when freshwater from rivers meets saltwater from the ocean.
The De Brouckere mean diameter is a concept used in the field of sedimentology and particle size analysis. It is defined as the average diameter of particles in a sediment sample, calculated in such a way that it accounts for the surface area of the particles rather than just their linear dimensions. The De Brouckere mean diameter is often used when studying granular materials or sediments to provide a more accurate depiction of the particle size distribution.
The term "Darwin drift" is not widely recognized in scientific literature or biology, and it may not have a specific or established definition. However, it might refer to concepts related to evolutionary biology or genetic drift as they pertain to Charles Darwin's theories on evolution.
The Darcy number (\(Da\)) is a dimensionless number used in the study of fluid flow through porous media. It quantifies the ratio of the permeability of the porous medium to the square of the characteristic length scale, which is often related to the size of the pores.
Current in the context of fluid dynamics refers to the flow of a fluid, which can be a liquid or a gas. It describes the movement of fluid in a specific direction and can be quantified in terms of velocity, which is the speed of the fluid along with its direction. Fluid currents can occur in various environments, such as: 1. **Water Currents:** These occur in rivers, oceans, and lakes, where water flows due to gravity, wind, and differences in temperature or salinity.
Convective mixing is a process that occurs in fluids (liquids and gases) where the movement of the fluid itself helps to distribute heat, mass, or other properties throughout the medium. This mixing is driven by differences in temperature, density, or concentration within the fluid, which create convection currents. ### Key Concepts of Convective Mixing: 1. **Convection**: This is the transfer of heat through a fluid by the movement of the fluid itself.
Compressed fluid refers to a fluid (liquid or gas) that is subjected to pressure higher than its atmospheric pressure, reducing its volume and increasing its density. When a fluid is compressed, its molecules are forced closer together, altering its physical properties. This concept is commonly applied in various fields, including engineering, thermodynamics, and fluid mechanics.
The term "coefficient of moment" is not a standard term used in mechanics or engineering, so it might appear in different contexts or have various interpretations. However, here are a couple of possible meanings depending on the context: 1. **In Structural Engineering**: The coefficient of moment may refer to a dimensionless value that expresses the relationship between the moment acting on a beam or structural member and the effects produced (like stress or deflection).
The term "clearing factor" can refer to different concepts depending on the context in which it is used. Here are a couple of definitions based on different fields: 1. **In Banking and Finance**: The "clearing factor" may refer to aspects of the clearing process in financial transactions. It could involve the efficiency and effectiveness of clearinghouses that facilitate the settlement of trades and the transfer of securities.
The Clarke–Riley diffusion flame is a specific type of flame structure that arises in combustion processes, particularly in gas-phase combustion scenarios. It is characterized by the interactions between fuel and oxidizer that lead to a flame that is stable and carefully defined. In general, diffusion flames occur when the fuel and oxidizer are mixed through diffusion rather than being pre-mixed.
The Capillary number (Ca) is a dimensionless number that describes the relative effect of viscous forces to surface tension forces in a fluid. It is a critical parameter in fields such as fluid mechanics, petroleum engineering, and the study of multiphase flows.

Pinned article: Introduction to the OurBigBook Project

Welcome to the OurBigBook Project! Our goal is to create the perfect publishing platform for STEM subjects, and get university-level students to write the best free STEM tutorials ever.
Everyone is welcome to create an account and play with the site: ourbigbook.com/go/register. We belive that students themselves can write amazing tutorials, but teachers are welcome too. You can write about anything you want, it doesn't have to be STEM or even educational. Silly test content is very welcome and you won't be penalized in any way. Just keep it legal!
We have two killer features:
  1. topics: topics group articles by different users with the same title, e.g. here is the topic for the "Fundamental Theorem of Calculus" ourbigbook.com/go/topic/fundamental-theorem-of-calculus
    Articles of different users are sorted by upvote within each article page. This feature is a bit like:
    • a Wikipedia where each user can have their own version of each article
    • a Q&A website like Stack Overflow, where multiple people can give their views on a given topic, and the best ones are sorted by upvote. Except you don't need to wait for someone to ask first, and any topic goes, no matter how narrow or broad
    This feature makes it possible for readers to find better explanations of any topic created by other writers. And it allows writers to create an explanation in a place that readers might actually find it.
    Figure 1.
    Screenshot of the "Derivative" topic page
    . View it live at: ourbigbook.com/go/topic/derivative
  2. local editing: you can store all your personal knowledge base content locally in a plaintext markup format that can be edited locally and published either:
    This way you can be sure that even if OurBigBook.com were to go down one day (which we have no plans to do as it is quite cheap to host!), your content will still be perfectly readable as a static site.
    Figure 5. . You can also edit articles on the Web editor without installing anything locally.
    Video 3.
    Edit locally and publish demo
    . Source. This shows editing OurBigBook Markup and publishing it using the Visual Studio Code extension.
  3. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook-media/master/feature/x/hilbert-space-arrow.png
  4. Infinitely deep tables of contents:
    Figure 6.
    Dynamic article tree with infinitely deep table of contents
    .
    Descendant pages can also show up as toplevel e.g.: ourbigbook.com/cirosantilli/chordate-subclade
All our software is open source and hosted at: github.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook
Further documentation can be found at: docs.ourbigbook.com
Feel free to reach our to us for any help or suggestions: docs.ourbigbook.com/#contact