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Viscosity is a measure of a fluid's rate-dependent resistance to a change in shape or to movement of its neighboring portions relative to one another. [1] For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of thickness; for example, syrup has a higher viscosity than water. [2]
Dynamic viscosity is a material property which describes the resistance of a fluid to shearing flows. It corresponds roughly to the intuitive notion of a fluid's 'thickness'. For instance, honey has a much higher viscosity than water. Viscosity is measured using a viscometer. Measured values span several orders of magnitude.
The viscosity index (VI) is an arbitrary, unit-less measure of a fluid's change in viscosity relative to temperature change. It is mostly used to characterize the viscosity-temperature behavior of lubricating oils. The lower the VI, the more the viscosity is affected by changes in temperature.
In condensed matter physics and physical chemistry, the terms viscous liquid, supercooled liquid, and glass forming liquid are often used interchangeably to designate liquids that are at the same time highly viscous (see Viscosity of amorphous materials), can be or are supercooled, and able to form a glass.
In physics and chemistry, a non-Newtonian fluid is a fluid that does not follow Newton's law of viscosity, that is, it has variable viscosity dependent on stress. In particular, the viscosity of non-Newtonian fluids can change when subjected to force. Ketchup, for example, becomes runnier when shaken and is thus a non-Newtonian fluid.
The dilute gas viscosity contribution to the total viscosity of a fluid will only be important when predicting the viscosity of vapors at low pressures or the viscosity of dense fluids at high temperatures. The viscosity model for dilute gas, that is shown above, is widely used throughout the industry and applied science communities.
Relative viscosity (a synonym of "viscosity ratio") is the ratio of the viscosity of a solution to the viscosity of the solvent used (), =. The significance in Relative viscosity is that it can be analyzed the effect a polymer can have on a solution's viscosity such as increasing the solutions viscosity.
A similar effect is created by the introduction of a stream of high-velocity fluid into a low-velocity fluid, such as the hot gases emitted from a flame in air. This relative movement generates fluid friction, which is a factor in developing turbulent flow. Counteracting this effect is the viscosity of the fluid, which tends to inhibit ...