Compressible versus Incompressible Flow
A flow is classified as being compressible or incompressible, depending
on the level of variation of density during flow. Incompressibility is an
approximation, in which the flow is said to be incompressible if the density
remains nearly constant throughout. Therefore, the volume of every portion
of fluid remains unchanged over the course of its motion when the flow is
approximated as incompressible.
The densities of liquids are essentially constant, and thus the flow of liquids is typically incompressible. Therefore, liquids are usually referred to as
incompressible substances. A pressure of 210 atm, for example, causes the
density of liquid water at 1 atm to change by just 1 percent. Gases, on the
other hand, are highly compressible. A pressure change of just 0.01 atm, for
example, causes a change of 1 percent in the density of atmospheric air.
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