turbulence

Dictionary: tur·bu·lence (tûr'byə-ləns) pronunciation

The state or quality of being turbulent: times of turbulence and confusion.
Turbulent flow.
An eddying motion of the atmosphere that interrupts the flow of wind.

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: turbulence

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In fluid mechanics, a flow condition (see turbulent flow) in which local speed and pressure change unpredictably as an average flow is maintained. Common examples are wind and water swirling around obstructions, or fast flow (Reynolds number greater than 2,100) of any sort. Eddies, vortices, and a reduction in drag are characteristics of turbulence. Lowered drag enables golf balls to travel farther than they would do otherwise, and the dimpled surface of golf balls is meant to encourage turbulence in the boundary layer. If swimsuits with rough surfaces help swimmers to move faster, as has been claimed, the same explanation may apply.

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Thesaurus: turbulence

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noun

The condition of being physically agitated: agitation, commotion, convulsion. See calm/agitation.
An interruption of regular procedure or of public peace: agitation, commotion, disorder, disturbance, helter-skelter, stir¹, tumult, turmoil, uproar. Informal flap, to-do. See calm/agitation, order/disorder.

Antonyms: turbulence

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Definition: roughness
Antonyms: calmness

n

Definition: turmoil
Antonyms: calmness, peace

Dental Dictionary: turbulence

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Casting term used to denote irregular flow of metal into a mold. May result in porosity.

Columbia Encyclopedia: turbulence

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turbulence, state of violent or agitated behavior in a fluid. Turbulent behavior is characteristic of systems of large numbers of particles, and its unpredictability and randomness has long thwarted attempts to fully understand it, even with such powerful tools as statistical mechanics. Although much is still unknown about turbulence, recent developments in nonlinear dynamics have led to an understanding of the onset of turbulence, and the advent of the supercomputer has enabled better models of turbulent states to be developed. Until the early 1970s, it was held that laminar, or smooth, flow made a gradual transition to turbulent flow by the addition of instabilities, one at a time, until the flow became unpredictable. Experimental work, however, has shown that the onset of turbulence occurs abruptly, and in fact is characterized by the so-called strange attractors of nonlinear dynamics. Increased understanding of turbulent flow through supercomputer models is leading to advances in such diverse areas as the design of better airplane wings and artificial heart valves.

Word Tutor: turbulence

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IN BRIEF: A state of violent disorder.

In a time of turbulence and change, it is more true than ever that knowledge is power. — John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1961-63)

Translations: Turbulence

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - turbulens

Nederlands (Dutch)
onrust, turbulentie

Français (French)
n. - turbulences (de l'air), turbulence (des vagues), perturbations

Deutsch (German)
n. - Turbulenz, Wirbel, Aufruhr, Unruhe

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - σάλος, ανατάραξη, στροβιλισμός, στρόβιλος

Italiano (Italian)
turbolenza

Português (Portuguese)
n. - turbulência (f), perturbação (f)

Русский (Russian)
бурность, буйность, (спец.) турбулентность

Español (Spanish)
n. - turbulencia

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - oro, upprördhet, häftighet, våldsamhet, turbulens

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
喧嚣, 骚乱, 狂暴

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 喧囂, 騷亂, 狂暴

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 소란, 난기류

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 大荒れ, 動乱, 乱気流, 乱流

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) اضطراب, فتنه, شغب, تمرد‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮מערבולת אוויר או נוזל, סערה כתוצאה מהפרעות אטמוספריות, תסיסה, התפרעות, רעש, תכונה‬

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	turbosphere (meteorology)
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		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
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		Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
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		Dental Dictionary. Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Copyright © 2004 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more
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