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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/eng-bernoulli-assumptions

Which assumptions underlie the simple Bernoulli equation along a streamline?

The flow is modeled as incompressible and frictionless.

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  1. Viscous and compressible
  2. Static and turbulent
  3. Incompressible and frictionless ✔

Why: Simple Bernoulli flow conserves mechanical energy without viscous losses or density change. Real pipes with friction, pumps, turbines, or strong compression need added terms or other models.

Huh, didn't know that: Applying Bernoulli across unrelated streamlines may also require extra conditions, such as irrotational flow.

The dad joke
Bernoulli liked ideal vacations, no friction and no compression.
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References

Answer: Incompressible and frictionless. Simple Bernoulli flow conserves mechanical energy without viscous losses or density change. Real pipes with friction, pumps, turbines, or strong compression need added terms or other models.

  1. OpenStax University Physics Volume 1, Bernoulli's Equation openstax.org/books/university-physics-volume-1/pages/14-6-bernoullis-equation
    For an incompressible, frictionless fluid, the combination of pressure and the sum of kinetic and potential energy densities is constant
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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