4 ms·
I wonder if adiabatic compression in front of a reentering spacecraft could even occur if not for friction.
by agapon 6y ago
I wonder if adiabatic compression in front of a reentering spacecraft could even occur if not for friction.
- ars 6y agoI think you should ask instead "if not for viscosity". And I think the answer is yes, for reasons of momentum. If you try to push air out of the way it in turn needs to move other air, etc, etc. Even with zero viscosity, it still needs to to that, which means the pressure goes up, and will therefor heat up.
- hnick 6y agoIs viscosity not a form of friction, just at microscopic level? Honest question. Google seemed to be of two minds.
- tshaddox 6y agoFriction is a very high-level thermodynamic concept, and I certainly think that fluid friction is effectively the same concept as viscosity.
- ars 6y agohttp://galileo.phys.virginia.edu/classes/152.mf1i.spring02/Viscosity.pdf http://galileo.phys.virginia.edu/classes/152.mf1i.spring02/V...