Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-b-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2022/paper-2/section-a/a2/solution

Use the pipe-diameter convention for the Reynolds number, with mean velocity , density and dynamic viscosity :
The Reynolds number compares inertial and viscous effects in the fluid flow. A conventional estimate for the onset of turbulence in a pipe is , giving
Hence the usual onset estimate is . Using the also common transition criterion gives , whereas , used for established turbulence, gives . There is no universal sharp minimum: inlet disturbances and pipe conditions affect the transition from laminar flow, so the threshold convention must accompany the answer.

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