Perfectly inelastic collision 2026-10-14
A perfectly inelastic collision is an inelastic collision in which the bodies stick and share one outgoing velocity. For two isolated point masses, momentum conservation gives . At fixed total momentum, common velocity minimizes the outgoing translational kinetic energy, so sticking gives the greatest loss of that kinetic energy for the specified incoming state.
Periodic heat and transport comparison 2026-10-14
Use dimensionless and , the periodic domain , and the same initial conditionWith zero PDE source term, compare the heat equation and the transport equation . Their exact solutions areEach cosine satisfies , so the heat equation reduces its amplitude according to . The superposition principle combines the constant and two Fourier modes. The transport equation shifts the argument of the entire profile. Both formulas meet the initial condition and matching periodic boundary conditions exactly.[ref]
https://web.stanford.edu/class/math220b/handouts/heateqn.pdf. Stanford Math 220B heat-equation notes, periodic boundary conditions
At , the heat amplitudes are approximately and : the small ripples disappear much sooner than the broad variation. The transport equation retains amplitudes and , shifting the profile right by one unit with wraparound. Both preserve spatial average , but only the heat equation approaches the uniform profile. This gives diffusion its usefulness for smoothing uneven temperatures, while the transport equation models a profile carried by a flow. The signed profile can represent a scaled temperature deviation.
Exact evolution of one periodic profile: transport translates while diffusion preferentially removes short wavelengths
. Details. To restore units, let physical position be and time be . For , the dimensionless coefficient is , with measured in length squared per time. For , it is , with measured in length per time. Both plotted coefficients equal one when and . Thus the example compares specified models on the same scales, rather than identifying diffusivity with velocity.
Perpendicular fast magnetosonic simple wave 2026-10-07
For a one-dimensional velocity perpendicular to a transverse magnetic field, . The primitive-variable characteristic matrix has two advective eigenvalues and the two speeds . Integrating the fast eigenvectors keeps and constant. The state parameter obeys , so the characteristic speed satisfies the Inviscid Burgers equation.
Perpendicular magnetohydrodynamic shock 2026-10-14
For a planar magnetohydrodynamic shock with normal velocity and tangential magnetic field, mass conservation gives and the ideal magnetohydrodynamic induction equation gives constant across the front. Hence is unchanged, expressing magnetic flux freezing. Normal momentum flux is , and energy flux per unit mass flux is , apart from a smooth common gravitational potential. The amplified tangential field contributes both magnetic pressure and magnetic energy transport.
For constant stratification and , a decaying zero-interior-PV mode has vertical structure . Its topographic boundary condition gives . Resonance requires and nonzero forcing . With zero initial disturbance, grows linearly and is imaginary relative to cosine topography. Its meridional velocity is therefore opposite in phase to the relief for positive . A zero zonal wavenumber or zero boundary current removes the forcing and invalidates an unconditional claim of secular growth.
Phase quadrature 2026-10-13
Two sinusoidal signals are in phase quadrature when their phase difference is a quarter cycle, for example and . Their time averages have zero correlation over a cycle. In a plane wave, this separates fields such as displacement and its time derivative, velocity.
Photofragment-ion imaging 2026-10-13
Photofragment-ion imaging detects fragment velocities by ionizing neutral products and mapping their motion onto a position-sensitive detector using an electric field. In a velocity-mapping implementation, the image radius measures transverse speed under fixed lens settings. Selecting an arrival-time slice helps extract the central plane of the three-dimensional distribution. Species identification and electronic quantum state selection are essential for turning a radius into a particular dissociation threshold.
Physical dimension Created 2026-10-06 Updated 2026-10-13
The physical dimension of a quantity records its powers of chosen base dimensions, independently of units. For example, velocity has dimension and force has dimension . Dimensional analysis compares these expressions in physical equations.
Planar anti-dynamo theorem 2026-10-14
In the standard two-dimensional setting, with planar velocity and magnetic field independent of the third coordinate and homogeneous energy-closed boundary conditions, the in-plane magnetic potential is an advected diffusing scalar. Its quadratic integral decreases, preventing regeneration of a dynamo field. A third field component independent of that coordinate also obeys a passive advection-diffusion equation. A flow depending on two coordinates but possessing a third velocity component is not covered by this strictly planar formulation.
For a stationary collisionless stellar system confined to a plane, velocity isotropy makes the galactic distribution function depend on speed through . The Collisionless Boltzmann equation implies , hence with specific orbital energy . This conclusion requires stationarity as well as isotropy.
Planar Poiseuille flow with equal wall slip 2026-10-14
Now both plates at and are stationary and both obey the Navier slip boundary condition with the same slip length . Drive steady flow of a Newtonian fluid in incompressible flow by the constant pressure gradient , with constant dynamic viscosity and no other streamwise body force. The planar Poiseuille flow profile and its volumetric flow rate per unit width areThe full volumetric flow rate for channel width is when side-wall effects are negligible. Thus has units , while has units . Denote the value at by .
The two wall checks expose the normal signs:Both Navier slip boundary conditions therefore hold exactly. The two walls exert backward tangential tractions of magnitude on the fluid. Increasing at fixed adds a uniform velocity offset, leaving the velocity gradient and wall shear stress unchanged. This differs from Couette flow with a slipping lower wall, where upper-wall velocity is fixed and shear stress decreases.
For , , and , the wall velocity is , the centre velocity is , and . The enhancement is . Equivalently, a prescribed volumetric flow rate needs only of the original pressure gradient. This makes slip length useful for estimating pumping requirements in small channels.
Equal slip at both channel walls increases pressure-driven flow
. Both walls are stationary and obey the Navier slip boundary condition. Left: normalized planar Poiseuille flow profiles at fixed pressure gradient , gap and dynamic viscosity for , and . Arrows show inward unit normals in opposite directions at the two walls. Right: volumetric flow rate per unit width increases by the factor at fixed . Details.At fixed , and , recovers ordinary planar Poiseuille flow. As , the velocity and grow without bound in this model, although the varying part of the profile stays the same. At exactly zero tangential wall traction, no steady solution can balance this nonzero pressure gradient: conflicts with . Unlimited enhancement is consequently not a prediction for a real channel; finite wall friction, finite driving capacity and the validity of the assumed steady flow must be assessed. At fixed finite instead, and the profile approaches uniform velocity .
A short derivation integrates the reduced Navier-Stokes equation twice. Equal slip lengths and the opposite inward unit normals give . Its integral over the gap supplies the enhancement factor .
Planar viscous-sheet stretching equations 2026-10-14
A symmetric thin viscous sheet with shear-free faces has leading longitudinal velocity independent of thickness coordinate , and incompressibility gives . Young–Laplace equation and the Newtonian fluid stress tensor give and . The effective longitudinal tension per unit transverse width is . The last two terms include the horizontal projections of the two surface tension pulls. Force balance gives , yielding the displayed longitudinal equation; the face kinematic conditions give the displayed conservation of mass equation.
Planar vorticity velocity kernel Created 2026-10-07 Updated 2026-10-14
The velocity induced by planar vorticity is a convolution with this kernel, whose sign depends on the stream function and vorticity conventions. Its magnitude is and its derivative is bounded by . Splitting the convolution at radius gives . The same singularity yields a log-Lipschitz modulus, enough for a Yudovich characteristic flow.
Plane Poiseuille flow of a Bingham fluid 2026-10-14
For fixed plates , no slip, viscosity , yield stress and , force balance gives shear stress . The central plug flow of a yield-stress fluid has half-width . If , the velocity isIt is even in ; its derivative is in the yielded layers and zero in the plug. If , there is no flow. Odd velocity is incompatible with this pressure-driven no-slip solution at nonzero flow.

