 Solution

A fluid is described on a continuum scale by density, pressure and velocity fields. An Eulerian field is measured at fixed position; a material element changes at rate $D/Dt={\partial }_t+\mathbf{v}\cdot \nabla$. mass conservation requiresFor incompressible flow this becomes $\nabla \cdot \mathbf{v}=0$. A streamline is instantaneously tangent to velocity, whereas a pathline follows a particle through time; they coincide in a steady flow but need not in an unsteady one.

For an ideal inviscid fluid, pressure and body forces give the Euler equation. In the constant-density gravitational case,A stationary impermeable boundary requires zero normal velocity, but inviscid theory does not impose no slip. Taking its steady projection along a streamline gives $p/\rho +v^2/2+gz=\mathrm{constant}$. If the flow is also irrotational in the connected region, that constant is shared between streamlines. Inviscid does not mean irrotational: rotating ideal-fluid flows are possible. A velocity potential exists locally for an irrotational field, and in incompressible flow it obeys Laplace's equation. The Bernoulli assumptions must be checked before converting a pressure difference into a speed.^[ref]

Real fluids transmit shear stress. An incompressible Newtonian fluid with constant dynamic viscosity $\eta$ obeysThe constitutive shear stress is proportional to strain rate, and stationary solid boundaries usually impose no slip. viscosity diffuses vorticity and converts organized mechanical energy into heat; its local dissipation $2\eta e_{ij}{e}_{ij}$ is nonnegative. It cannot generally be included merely by changing the constant in a lossless Bernoulli equation.

In a long straight circular tube, steady fully developed laminar flow hasThis Hagen-Poiseuille equation follows by balancing the axial pressure gradient with viscous shear and setting $v_z(a)=0$. The parabolic profile, the fourth-power radius sensitivity and the pumping power $\Delta pQ$ are experimentally distinct consequences. Entrance regions, rough walls, non-Newtonian response or a changing temperature require additional modelling.

The Reynolds number $\mathrm{Re}=\rho UL/\eta$ compares inertia with viscosity. Small values favor creeping-flow balances; high values permit thin boundary layers, separation and turbulence, although transition depends on geometry and perturbations, not one universal critical number. At high Reynolds number an outer flow can be approximately inviscid while near-wall viscosity still determines drag. This resolves why a zero-drag ideal potential-flow model cannot predict the resistance of an ordinary moving body. In turbulent flow, fluctuating Reynolds stresses redistribute momentum and increase the required pressure drop; averaging the equations introduces closure requirements.

A controlled tube experiment measures pressure difference and collected volume per time while changing forcing. Use tracers or a velocity probe to test profile shape, allow sufficient entrance length, and monitor radius and temperature independently. Repeat with reversed flow and at several rates to test offsets and linearity. Dye mixing alone does not measure viscosity or establish a fully developed velocity profile. The original figure below separates a specified laminar velocity profile from an independent pressure/discharge measurement.