Reynolds Number & Flow Transition
Visualize the transition from laminar to turbulent flow around a cylinder as Reynolds number increases.
Re = 1
Stokes flow
1 (Stokes)40 (Steady wake)200 (Vortex street)10⁴ (Turbulent)
Re = ρvL/μ (density × velocity × length / viscosity). Below Re≈5: symmetric creeping flow. Re≈40: steady recirculation vortices. Re≈100: von Kármán vortex street. Re≫1000: turbulent wake. This simulation uses a particle-advection model tuned to match observed flow regimes.