Circulation (physics)

<p>In physics, circulation is the <a href="/facts/Line_integral/10s4B3Nn">line integral</a> of a <a href="/facts/Vector_field/ccFNuPPp">vector field</a> around a closed curve embedded in the field. In <a href="/facts/Fluid_dynamics/y7uzSCfg">fluid dynamics</a>, the field is the fluid <a href="/facts/Velocity_field/amIT4Ht8">velocity field</a>. In <a href="/facts/Electromagnetism/oAkmALHT">electrodynamics</a>, it can be the electric or the magnetic field.
</p><p>In <a href="/facts/Aerodynamics/Cn6Lnl3H">aerodynamics</a>, it finds applications in the calculation of <a href="/facts/Lift_(force)/ehQKKaWP">lift</a>, for which circulation was first used independently by <a href="/facts/Frederick_Lanchester/aaLM7uNP">Frederick Lanchester</a>, <a href="/facts/Ludwig_Prandtl/I4b4E7sq">Ludwig Prandtl</a>, <a href="/facts/Martin_Kutta/VwJXlfUJ">Martin Kutta</a> and <a href="/facts/Nikolay_Zhukovsky_(scientist)/avfrPXSs">Nikolay Zhukovsky</a>. It is usually denoted Γ (uppercase <a href="/facts/Gamma/RkmPeRj3">gamma</a>).
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Circulation (physics) open-in-new

Circulation (physics)