Smoke rising from an incense stick inside a wind-less room, air flow around a car or aeroplane in motion are some examples of streamline flow, Fish, dolphins, and even massive whales are streamlined in shape to reduce drag. Migratory birds species that fly long distances often have particular features such as long necks, and flocks of birds fly in the shape of a spearhead as that forms a streamlined pattern.
Turbulence results in wasted energy. Cars and aeroplanes are painstakingly streamlined to reduce fluid friction, and thus the fuel consumption. (See ‘Disadvantages of turbulence’ in the following box.) Turbulence is commonly seen in washing machines and kitchen mixers. Turbulence in these devices is desirable because it causes mixing. (Also see ‘Advantages of turbulence’ in the following box.) Recent developments in high-speed videography and computational tools for modelling is rapidly advancing our understanding of the aerodynamics of bird and insect flights which fascinate both physicists and biologists.
