ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Osborne Reynolds

Osborne Reynolds was a very smart man who lived a long time ago. He was interested in how things move through pipes, like water or air. He wanted to figure out why some things move smoothly and others get all jiggly and wavy.

He thought it would be helpful to do an experiment, so he got a clear pipe and filled it with water. Then he added some dye so he could see how the water moved.

When he turned on the water, he noticed that the dye didn't move smoothly at first. It wiggled around and made a mess. But as the water flowed more and more, the dye started to move in nice, smooth lines.

Osborne Reynolds realized that there is something special that happens when liquids or gases flow through pipes. The more they flow, the smoother they get. This is now called the "Reynolds number" and is used to help design things like airplane wings, pipes, and water pumps so they work efficiently and smoothly.

So thanks to Osborne Reynolds, we have a better understanding of how things flow and can make things work better.