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The far-field derivative fixes the growing $n=1$ cosine coefficient to $U$ and removes all other growing modes. The possible logarithmic term has derivative $D_0/a$ at the wall, so the zero wall derivative removes it. For each decaying Fourier mode, the wall condition relates its coefficient to its growing partner: the $n=1$ cosine partner has coefficient $U{a}^2$, and every other partner vanishes. Thus the potential flow around a circular cylinder hasIndeed, ${\varphi }_r=U(1-a^2/r^2)\cos \theta$, which is zero at $r=a$ and tends to $U\cos \theta$ at infinity. The additive constant does not change the velocity. The equipotential curves satisfy $(r+a^2/r)\cos \theta =\text{constant}$. They approach vertical straight lines far away and meet the cylinder radially wherever the tangential velocity is nonzero. The two stagnation points are at $\theta =0,\pi$.

A velocity potential satisfying uniform flow at infinity and no radial flow through $r=a$ isThereforeOn the cylinder, $u_r=0$ and $u_{\theta }=-2U\sin \theta$. The steady Bernoulli equation, compared with the uniform flow at infinity, givesHencethe pressure in potential flow around a circular cylinder.

Work in the frame translating with the bubble. The bubble is the fixed circle $r=a$, while the velocity tends to $-U{\mathbf{e}}_x$ at infinity. The potential flow around a circular cylinder has velocity potentialIt is harmonic for $r>a$ and givesThus $u_r=0$ on $r=a$, satisfying the kinematic boundary condition, and $\mathbf{u}\to -U{\mathbf{e}}_x$ as $r\to \infty$. The laboratory-frame flow is obtained by adding $U{\mathbf{e}}_x$.

The far radial derivative selects the growing frequency-one term $Ur\cos \theta$. The matching decaying harmonic is $B\cos \theta /r$. The no-penetration condition gives ${\partial }_r\varphi =(U-B/r^2)\cos \theta =0$ at $r=a$, so $B=U{a}^2$. Thus the potential flow around a circular cylinder isThe remaining single-valued exterior harmonics are excluded by the zero radial derivative at the cylinder and the prescribed derivative at infinity, apart from the arbitrary additive constant. In particular the logarithmic radial term would have a nonzero radial derivative on the cylinder. A circulation term proportional to $\theta$ is excluded by single-valuedness of the potential.

The pressure coefficient compares a local static pressure with a specified reference static pressure, using a fixed reference dynamic pressure:The reference mass density, speed, pressure and location must accompany a reported pressure coefficient. Keep the same $q_{\infty }$ throughout a surface distribution; replacing it by local $\rho U^2/2$ gives a different quantity and fails at a stagnation point. The definition itself requires neither Bernoulli's principle nor inviscid flow, so measured pressure coefficients remain useful when those idealizations fail.

Positive $C_p$ means $p>p_{\infty }$; zero means equality; negative $C_p$ means $p<p_{\infty }$. This sign does not specify the sign of absolute pressure. For stipulated $p_{\infty }=101325\mathrm{Pa}$ absolute and $q_{\infty }=240\mathrm{Pa}$, $C_p=-3$ gives $p=100605\mathrm{Pa}$ absolute: a $720\mathrm{Pa}$ deficit, not a negative absolute pressure. If $p_{\infty }$ equals atmospheric pressure, the numerator is gauge pressure; a wind tunnel's reference static pressure need not equal room atmospheric pressure. These are reference choices, not different physical pressures.

Under the same-height, constant-mass density $\rho ={\rho }_{\infty }$, steady flow and inviscid flow hypotheses of the Bernoulli equation, and with the same Bernoulli invariant as the reference flow,The first equation immediately gives the second after subtracting $p_{\infty }$ and dividing by $q_{\infty }$. Hence a lossless stagnation point has $C_p=1$, $U=U_{\infty }$ gives $C_p=0$, and $U=2U_{\infty }$ gives $C_p=-3$. For a real stationary wall satisfying the no-slip boundary condition, the velocity is zero right at the wall; inserting that wall velocity in an inviscid flow formula would wrongly predict $C_p=1$ everywhere. A thin boundary layer approximation instead relates the wall pressure to the outer-flow pressure and uses the outer velocity where the Bernoulli equation applies.

For potential flow around a circular cylinder of radius $a$ with zero circulation, the surface tangential velocity is $u_{\theta }=-2U_{\infty }\sin \theta$. Thus the ideal pressure coefficient isWith $\theta$ measured from downstream, the front is at $\pi$ and the rear at zero. Both ideal stagnation points have $C_p=1$, while the sides at $\pi /2$ and $3\pi /2$ have $C_p=-3$. This exact model is a useful baseline for an experiment; its complete rearward pressure recovery is not a prediction for a separated real fluid wake.

To obtain a force, integrate the local normal contributions with their directions. Let $\mathbf{n}$ be the unit normal vector from the body into the fluid and $\Sigma$ its closed wetted surface:The second equality removes a spatially constant reference pressure over the closed surface; it does not remove a nonuniform hydrostatic pressure or justify dropping the reference term on an isolated open patch. A negative $C_p$ contributes outwards in this reference-subtracted calculation, even though a positive absolute pressure still pushes inwards locally. Project ${\mathbf{F}}_p$ onto the chosen lift and drag directions. The full fluid force also includes ${\int }_{\Sigma }{\mathbf{\sigma }}_{\mathrm{visc}}\mathbf{n}dA$ from the viscous stress tensor, including tangential shear stress; pressure tapping does not measure that contribution.

For the two-dimensional cylinder, force per unit span follows from $dA=ad\theta$ per unit span and $\mathbf{n}=(\cos \theta ,\sin \theta )$:Substituting $C_p=1-4{\sin }^2\theta$ gives $(0,0)$: opposite points have identical pressure coefficients and opposite normal vectors. Zero drag despite a strongly nonuniform pressure is the instructive limitation associated with D'Alembert's paradox. Real viscosity, boundary layers and flow separation can prevent rearward pressure recovery and produce pressure drag. Thus the measured curve can test the model and estimate a pressure contribution without proving that total drag vanishes.

A motivating measurement is Virginia Tech's Experiment 3 - Flow Past a Circular Cylinder. Its open-jet wind tunnel holds a rotatable $140\mathrm{mm}$ cylinder with end plates and 36 one-millimetre pressure tappings at ten-degree intervals. A reference Pitot-static tube supplies $p_{0\infty }$ and $p_{\infty }$ to one digital manometer; a second connects a surface tap to its positive port and reference static pressure to its negative port. Record the simultaneous readings:The last equality uses the low-speed stopping relation, not an additional speed measurement. The manual requires sealed tubing and zero checks with the tunnel off. It also provides a water-column manometer: read each column's initial level, and subtract the independently measured reference-to-atmosphere pressure from the tap-to-atmosphere readings. Record tap positions after rotation. Compare the two instruments and check spanwise uniformity; end plates do not guarantee two-dimensional flow. ^[ref]

The inferential distinction matters: the manometers directly measure pressure differences, the ratio estimates pressure coefficients, and a surface integral estimates the pressure part of the force. Measure room absolute pressure and temperature if converting the reference difference to speed through the ideal gas law $\rho =p_{\mathrm{abs}}/(RT)$; use thermodynamic temperature in that equation. For force reconstruction, cover the complete contour and use numerical integration with the tap geometry. Finite tap spacing, unknown end effects, probe disturbance and fluctuations limit that reconstruction; tubes and instruments also average or delay changing pressures. Retain the signed raw readings, repeated readings and reference readings so that these limits can be assessed. A small reference difference magnifies any zero error in the ratio, rather than producing a reliably large $C_p$.