Vortical
Encyclopedia
In fluid dynamics
, vortical means pertaining to a vortex
or to vortices. The movement of a fluid
can be said to be vortical if the fluid moves around in a circle, or in a helix
, or if it tends to spin around some axis.
Vortical movement is characterized by non-zero vorticity, with vorticity
defined as the curl of the flow velocity
:
where v is the velocity vector field
of the fluid flow.
The curl of the velocity — at a specified point of the vector field — yields a vector which points in the direction around which the fluid flow is rotating.
Fluid dynamics
In physics, fluid dynamics is a sub-discipline of fluid mechanics that deals with fluid flow—the natural science of fluids in motion. It has several subdisciplines itself, including aerodynamics and hydrodynamics...
, vortical means pertaining to a vortex
Vortex
A vortex is a spinning, often turbulent,flow of fluid. Any spiral motion with closed streamlines is vortex flow. The motion of the fluid swirling rapidly around a center is called a vortex...
or to vortices. The movement of a fluid
Fluid
In physics, a fluid is a substance that continually deforms under an applied shear stress. Fluids are a subset of the phases of matter and include liquids, gases, plasmas and, to some extent, plastic solids....
can be said to be vortical if the fluid moves around in a circle, or in a helix
Helix
A helix is a type of smooth space curve, i.e. a curve in three-dimensional space. It has the property that the tangent line at any point makes a constant angle with a fixed line called the axis. Examples of helixes are coil springs and the handrails of spiral staircases. A "filled-in" helix – for...
, or if it tends to spin around some axis.
Vortical movement is characterized by non-zero vorticity, with vorticity
defined as the curl of the flow velocityFlow velocity
In fluid dynamics the flow velocity, or velocity field, of a fluid is a vector field which is used to mathematically describe the motion of a fluid...
:
where v is the velocity vector field
Vector field
In vector calculus, a vector field is an assignmentof a vector to each point in a subset of Euclidean space. A vector field in the plane for instance can be visualized as an arrow, with a given magnitude and direction, attached to each point in the plane...
of the fluid flow.
The curl of the velocity — at a specified point of the vector field — yields a vector which points in the direction around which the fluid flow is rotating.
See also
- Biot–Savart law
- coordinate rotation
- hurricane
- vortexVortexA vortex is a spinning, often turbulent,flow of fluid. Any spiral motion with closed streamlines is vortex flow. The motion of the fluid swirling rapidly around a center is called a vortex...
- vorticity
External links
- Vortical Flow Research Lab (MIT) -- Study of flows found in nature and part of the Department of Ocean Engineering.
- Kida, Shigeo, "". National Institute for Fusion Science, Theory and Computer Simulation Center.
- Marcos, C. de la Fuente, and P. Barge, " The effect of long-lived vortical circulation on the dynamics of dust particles in the mid-plane of a protoplanetary disc".
- "Vortical" images via GoogleGoogleGoogle Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
.