Stokes Equations
The Stokes equations are a set of partial differential equations that describe the motion of incompressible, viscous fluids at low Reynolds numbers, where inertial forces are negligible compared to viscous forces. They are a simplified form of the Navier-Stokes equations, assuming steady-state flow and linearity, making them fundamental in fluid dynamics for modeling creeping flows, such as in microfluidics, geophysics, and biological systems.
Developers should learn the Stokes equations when working on simulations involving slow-moving fluids, such as in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, biomedical engineering applications (e.g., blood flow in capillaries), or environmental modeling (e.g., groundwater flow). They are essential for solving problems where viscosity dominates, enabling accurate predictions in fields like material science and chemical engineering without the computational complexity of full Navier-Stokes simulations.