Smooth Flow of Neutrons: Investigating Laminar Behavior

[mat1101]

Homework Statement

on a test, i wrote neutrons for something that flows
(laminar)
On some occasions do they flow smoothly?

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

 

[tiny-tim]

hi mat1101!

on a test, i wrote neutrons for something that flows
(laminar)
On some occasions do they flow smoothly?

hmm … things that flow are fluids, and I've never heard of neutrons behaving like a fluid

why didn't you just go for something like water?

and laminar flow "is the opposite of turbulent flow. In nonscientific terms laminar flow is "smooth," while turbulent flow is "rough."" … see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laminar_flow"

 

[mat1101]

sorry i should have been more specific
Do neutrons flow through water smoothly?

 

[Borek]

Are you sure you are talking about neutrons (subatomic particles) and flow (defined as motion of a gas or liquid)? Because, as tiny-tim already signaled, neutrons do not behave as liquids, so question - as posted - doesn't make sense.

 

[mat1101]

yes neutrons
and sorry
does water or air flow over them soomthly like this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Stokes_sphere.svg
hope tis helps a little bit more

 

[Borek]

They are way too small for water or gas to behave as a smooth, continuous liquid. It is more like a bullet shot into the forest, it flies till it hits something solid.

 

[Astronuc]

Neutrons don't flow like water. As others indicated, neutrons are subatomic particles, and in water they tend to scatter off other the nuclei, and considering that they are nearly the same mass a proton, they can lose nearly all their energy when colliding with a proton (if it the collision is straight on). So neutrons scatter off nuclei until they are absorbed by some nuclei.

A neutron will combine with a proton to form a deuteron, or a neutron will combine with O-16 to forum O-17 or O-17 to form O-18. If the neutron energy is high enough, it can even knock a proton out of a nucleus in an (n.p) reaction.

Neutrons as colliding particles collectively diffuse through water, and the diffusion is just a manifestion of the gradient of the concentration (population density) of neutrons in the water.

 

[mat1101]

thanks!