•    Fluid is a substance that deform continuously under the action of shear stress, no matter how much it is small.

•    It has no definite shape of its own, but confirms to the shape of the container.

•    Fluid consists of liquid and gases.

•    Example: breathing, drinking, blood circulation in the human body. Fluidis everywhere, in the ocean, in the atmosphere and around the aircraft or a missile etc.

•    A continuous distribution of matter with no voids or empty spaces is called as continuum. For mechanical analysis, a fluid is considered to be continuum. e.g. water flowing through pipes, channel.

•    Continuum is based on assumption that fluid is continuous. That is the properties such as density, pressure, temperature and velocity are taken to be well defined at infinitely small points and are assumed to vary continuously from one point to another.

•    Air is considered as a Continuum.

•    The mean-free-path-of atmospheric air is about 5-7.5 x 10(     ) cm but this molecular spacing increase even under lower pressure, and the air no longer remains a continuum.

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