According to Bernoulli's Principle, what happens to pressure as fluid velocity increases?

Get ready for the SIFT Mechanical Comprehension Test with engaging flashcards and multiple choice questions. Each question offers hints and explanations to optimize learning. Excel in your exam preparation!

According to Bernoulli's Principle, as the velocity of a fluid increases, the pressure exerted by that fluid decreases. This relationship can be understood through the conservation of energy. In a streamlined flow, the sum of the pressure energy, kinetic energy, and potential energy remains constant along a streamline.

When the speed of the fluid increases, the kinetic energy of the fluid particles rises, which means that for the overall energy to remain constant, the pressure energy must decrease. Imagine a scenario where a fluid moves through a narrowed section of a pipe: the fluid speeds up as it passes through the narrower area, resulting in a drop in pressure in that section of the pipe.

This principle is crucial for understanding various phenomena in fluid dynamics, such as lift generation on airplane wings, where faster airflow over the wing's upper surface results in lower pressure, creating lift. Thus, the concept that higher fluid velocity corresponds to lower pressure is a fundamental aspect of Bernoulli's Principle and is applicable in numerous practical applications.

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