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View synonyms for viscosity

viscosity

[ vi-skos-i-tee ]

noun

, plural vis·cos·i·ties.
  1. the state or quality of being viscous.
  2. Physics.
    1. the property of a fluid that resists the force tending to cause the fluid to flow.
    2. the measure of the extent to which a fluid possesses this property.


viscosity

/ vɪsˈkɒsɪtɪ /

noun

  1. the state or property of being viscous
  2. physics
    1. the extent to which a fluid resists a tendency to flow
    2. Also calledabsolute viscosity a measure of this resistance, equal to the tangential stress on a liquid undergoing streamline flow divided by its velocity gradient. It is measured in newton seconds per metre squared η See also kinematic viscosity specific viscosity


viscosity

/ vĭ-skŏsĭ-tē /

  1. The resistance of a substance to flow. For example, water has a lower viscosity than molasses and flows more easily. Viscosity is related to the concept of shear force ; it can be understood as the effect of different layers of the fluid exerting shearing force on each other, or on other surfaces, as they move against each other. Viscosity lies behind the skin friction component of drag.
  2. Kinematic viscosity is a measure of the rate at which momentum is transferred through a fluid. It is measured in stokes .
  3. Dynamic viscosity is a measure of the ratio of the stress on a region of a fluid to the rate of change of strain it undergoes. It is equal to the kinematic viscosity times the density of the fluid. It is measured in pascal-seconds or poises .


viscosity

  1. The internal friction of a fluid , produced by the movement of its molecules against each other. Viscosity causes the fluid to resist flowing.


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Other Words From

  • hyper·vis·cosi·ty noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of viscosity1

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Medieval Latin viscōsitās, from Latin viscōs(us) viscous + -itās -ity

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Example Sentences

That viscosity limit depends on the Planck constant, a number at the heart of quantum mechanics, the math that governs physics on very small scales.

The lab has also developed various mixtures of magnetic particles and fluids that have “odd viscosity” — a sort of frictionless viscosity that enables waves to travel across the surface of the mixture without losing any energy.

He showed that the knots, links and writhing — ignoring the twisting — don’t lose their combined helicity to viscosity.

For half a century it’s been known that vortex helicity is conserved in an ideal fluid — basically, a fluid that has no viscosity, meaning it offers no resistance to an object pushing through it.

That means its viscosity — how thick it is — changes when force is applied to it.

The oil pressure will vary according to weather conditions and viscosity of oil used.

By the old gravity systems, the flow of oil depended largely upon its viscosity, or thickness.

A viscous precipitate forms which frequently loses its viscosity when heat is applied.

The effect on gelation is also illustrated by the change of viscosity of the sol with time.

Both the suddenness of their formation and the slowness with which they widen are demonstrative of the non-viscosity of the ice.

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viscoseviscosity index