Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-soft-condensed-matter-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2021/section-a/3/solution
Past exam of the soft condensed matter course of the University of Cambridge 2021 Section A 3 Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-18
Let increase down the pipe, be its radius and the distance from its axis. For steady, fully developed laminar flow of a Newtonian fluid, the axial Navier-Stokes equations reduce toWrite . Integrating twice, regularity at excludes a logarithmic term, and the no-slip boundary condition gives the Hagen-Poiseuille flow profileThe volumetric flow rate follows by integrating over the circular cross-section:For the intended gravity-driven case with no imposed axial pressure gradient, . Substitution givesandThe corresponding mean speed is about and the diameter-based Reynolds number is , consistent with laminar flow. The original PDF does not specify inlet and outlet pressures. If they impose an additional pressure gradient, the general result with above applies; gravity alone does not determine that extra contribution.
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