Bernoulli's principle / ref frames

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

This discussion centers on Bernoulli's principle as it applies to different reference frames, specifically in the context of a car moving with an open window. In the car's reference frame, the outside air has lower pressure, leading to air being sucked into the car. Conversely, from the world reference frame, the air inside the car is moving, resulting in lower pressure and causing air to be drawn out. The key takeaway is that Bernoulli's equation describes how air responds to pressure differentials, emphasizing that air accelerates from high to low pressure zones, affecting speed and pressure relationships.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Bernoulli's equation and its components
  • Familiarity with reference frames in physics
  • Basic knowledge of fluid dynamics
  • Concept of pressure differentials and their effects on air movement
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the derivation and applications of Bernoulli's equation in fluid dynamics
  • Explore the concept of reference frames in classical mechanics
  • Investigate the effects of turbulence on fluid flow and pressure
  • Learn about molecular dynamics and the behavior of gases under varying pressure conditions
USEFUL FOR

Physics students, engineers, and anyone interested in fluid dynamics and the practical applications of Bernoulli's principle in real-world scenarios.

Kricket
Messages
14
Reaction score
0
Situation: a car moving quickly down the road with a window open.

Car reference frame: the air outside is moving, thus has lower pressure, thus the air inside the car will be sucked out the window.

World reference frame: the air in the car is moving, thus has lower pressure, thus the ambient air will be sucked into the car.

So, question: if you're in the car, and thus you experience that the outside air has lower pressure, why is the outside air being sucked into the car (due to the outside air's "higher pressure" with respect to the car's air)?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Bernoulli is not about the speed of the air relative to some frame of reference. Instead it's a close approximation of how air responds to pressure differentials when no work is done and total mechanical energy is constant. A volume of air will accelerate from a higher pressure zone towards a lower pressure zone. During this transition. it's speed increases and it's pressure decreases, and it expands a small amount. Bernoulli equation approximates the relationship between speed, pressure, and expansion of that volume of air (ignoring factors like turbulence). A simplified version of Bernoulli ignores the expansion term of the equation.

At the molecular level, the pressure is the result of the rate of collisions and the impulses due to the average difference in velocities of those collisions. Assuming that the total mechanical energy is constant, then the average velocity of the affected air molecules is constant, but as that volume of air accelerates from a higher pressure zone to a lower pressure zone, the velocities of the affected molecules becomes a bit less random and a bit more directed (towards the lower pressure zone), reducing the rate of collisions and/or the average impulses due to reduced differences in average velocities of those collisions, reducing the static pressure as the net speed of the affected air increases.
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
4K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 40 ·
2
Replies
40
Views
5K
  • · Replies 20 ·
Replies
20
Views
4K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 30 ·
2
Replies
30
Views
5K
  • · Replies 29 ·
Replies
29
Views
5K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 252 ·
9
Replies
252
Views
11K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K