Conservation of mass and energy in fluid flow

Learning objectives

State the assumptions of the ideal fluid model: steady laminar flow of an incompressible fluid of negligible viscosity

Apply the continuity equation A₁v₁ = A₂v₂ as a statement of conservation of mass, and calculate volume flow rate in cubic meters per second

Explain why a fluid speeds up where the cross-sectional area of a tube narrows, and predict the accompanying change in pressure

Apply Bernoulli's equation as conservation of energy per unit volume, relating pressure, speed and height at two points on the same streamline

Solve problems such as efflux from a hole in a tank, flow through a constriction and lift on a surface, and justify the result using energy reasoning rather than assertion