Definition of important physical quantities

*Density of an object: d = m/V (m mass, V volume)

*Pressure on a surface: P = F/S (F force, S surface)
Rx
*Work of a force F: W = x 2 F ( x )dx; it becomes W = F ( x2 x1 ) if the force doesnt
1
depend on the position x (( x2 x1 ) total displacement)
Power: W/t (work per unit time)
Momentum of a force F: M = bF (b arm of the force)
*Flow of a volume of fluid: Q = V/t (V volume, t time)
*Concentration of a fluid: C = m/V (m mass, V volume)
(The * means "very important definition!")

Important physical values

*Gravity acceleration: g = 9.8m/s2
Atmospheric pressure: Patm = 1.013 105 Pa
*Density of water: dw = 103 Kg/m3
*Density of blood: db = 1.06 103 Kg/m3
Viscosity of water: = 0.01poise
*Viscosity of blood: = 0.04poise
*Mean blood pressure (in the human body): Pb = 80 120mmHg
Blood flow from a human heart (at rest): Q = 5l/min
*Boltzmann constant: K B = 1.38 1023 m2 Kgs2 K 1
*Avogadros number: NA = 6.022 102 3
(The * means "very important quantity!")

Fluid dynamics - ideal fluids (no mechanical resistance)

Flow conservation (continuity equation): S1 v1 = S2 v2 (when you have a pipe which
changes his section from S1 to S2 , as for example for a stenosis or an aneurysm in a
vessel)
Bernoullis theorem: P1 + 12 dv21 + dgh1 = P2 + 12 dv22 + dgh2 (P "static pressure",
"dynamic pressure", dgh "hydrostatic pressure")

1
2
2 dv

You can have different cases of the Bernoullis theorem, for which this equation becomes
easier:
- If you have a pipe which doesnt change its height (as for example the Venturi flowmeter), the Bernoulli equation becomes P1 + 12 dv21 = P2 + 12 dv22 .
1

- If you have a static situation you just have to apply P = dgh (P = P2 P1 , h =

h2 h1 ).
Archimedes force: FA = dVg (for a solid object of volume V submerged in a fluid of
density d)
The direction of ~FA is vertical, the versus is upwards.
(Mathematical issues concerning this topic: first and second degree equations)

Fluid dynamics - real fluids

4

Flow (Poiseulles formula): Q = r

8l P (r radius of the pipe, viscosity of the fluid, l
lenght of the pipe, P difference of pressure between the initial and the final point of
the pipe)
Mechanical resistance in laminar flow: R =
circular section.

|P|
Q , which becomes

R=

8l
r4

if the pipe has

<

Critical velocity for pipes with circular section: vc = dr (it is the velocity at which the
fluid changes his regime: from laminar flow to turbolent flow; < Reynolds number,
viscosity of the fluid, d density of the fluid, r radius of the pipe)
Series of resistances: Rtot = R1 + R2 + ...
Parallel of resistances:

1
Rtot

1
R1

1
R2

+ ...

(Mathematical issues concerning this topic: first and second degree equations)

Thermodynamics and ideal gas

Internal energy of a monoatomic ideal gas at temperature T: U = 3/2NK B T (K B Boltzmann constant, N number of particles)
Ideal gas law: PV = nRT (P pressure, V volume, n number of moles, R ideal gas constant, T temperature)
First thermodynamics principle: U = Q W (U internal energy, Q heat, W work)
Isothermic (T = constant) gas process:
Boyles law: Pi Vi = Pf Vf
Work: W = nRT ln(Vf /Vi )
First TD principle: Q = W (from U = 0)
Isobaric (P = constant) gas process:
Gay-Lussacs law: Vi /Ti = Vf /T f
Work: W = PV
First TD principle: U = Q W (with Q = nc P T)
Isochoric (V = constant) gas process:
2

 Work: W = 0
First TD principle: U = Q (from W = 0; with Q = ncV T, cV = c P R, R = ideal
gas constant)
Adiabatic (Q = 0) gas process:

Pi Vi = Pf Vf , = c P /cV
First TD principle: U = W (from Q = 0)
Efficiency of a thermal machine with thermostats at temperatures T1 and T2 : =
Q1 Q2
Q1

L
Q1

Second thermodynamics principle: S( B) S( A) for a thermodinamic process from the

configuration A to the configuration B (S = Q/T entropy)
Statistical definition of entropy: S = K B ln w (w number of microstate corresponding to
a macrostate)
Helmoltzs free energy: A = U TS
Gibbs free energy: G = H TS (H enthalpy)