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GATE 2019 AE – Question 26

Aerodynamics · Basic fluid mechanics: kinematics, conservation laws, dimensional analysis, incompressibility and Newtonian fluids · 1 mark · Numerical answer

A cylinder of diameter 1 m moves through air at STP at 1 m/s. A geometrically similar model has diameter 0.1 m and is tested in air at STP. What speed (m/s) gives Reynolds-number similarity?

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Correct answer: 10 to 10

Explanation

The same fluid at the same state has the same kinematic viscosity. Equate $VD/\nu=V_mD_m/\nu$: $V_m=1(1/0.1)=10$ m/s. Matching size alone would not preserve the viscous-to-inertial force ratio.

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