Past exam of the fluids and waves course of the University of Oxford / 2021 / 1 / a / iii / Solution

Adopt the streamfunction convention $u={\psi }_y$, $v=-{\psi }_x$. Integrating the first component of the velocity field in $y$ gives $\psi =-xy+\frac{1}{2}\Omega e^{-2t}{y}^2+f(x,t)$. The second component then requires $f_x=\Omega e^{2t}x$. Thus, omitting an arbitrary function of time,At a fixed instant, the streamlines are the connected curves $\psi =K$. To classify this quadratic form, introduce the invertible scaled and rotated coordinatesThenFor $\Omega >1$, both coefficients are positive. Every $K>0$ therefore gives an ellipse, and $K=0$ is the stagnation point at the origin. For $0<\Omega <1$, the quadratic form is an indefinite quadratic form: each $K\ne 0$ gives a hyperbola. The level $K=0$ consists of the straight separatriceswhose rays approach or leave the origin; the origin itself is a stagnation point. At the transition $\Omega =1$, $\psi =d^2$, so the nonstationary streamlines are parallel straight lines and $d=0$ is a line of stagnation points. These are instantaneous streamlines; the time dependence means that they need not coincide with pathlines.