Viscosity Question

[Josh138]

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I have a clarification question about viscosity on page 77 in the TBR physics (book 2). One of the problems asked which one of the following choices would decrease the chance of turbulent blood flow in a vein.

Choice B) thinning the blood without changing its density was an **incorrect** answer because they explained that it would "lower blood's viscosity, increasing the Reynold's number. This will make turbulence more likely."

The equation for Reynold's number is:
NR = 2pvR/viscocity

My question is how was I supposed to know that thinning the blood lowered the blood's viscosity? What affects viscosity of a liquid other than heat? I thought by thinning the blood, it meant to decrease the arterie's radius and thus would lower Reynold's number.

P.S. In case anyone was curious the answer was D) Lowering the blood density without thinning it which makes perfect sense.

Thanks in advance

 

[mehc012]

I have a clarification question about viscosity on page 77 in the TBR physics (book 2). One of the problems asked which one of the following choices would decrease the chance of turbulent blood flow in a vein.

Choice B) thinning the blood without changing its density was an **incorrect** answer because they explained that it would "lower blood's viscosity, increasing the Reynold's number. This will make turbulence more likely."

The equation for Reynold's number is:
NR = 2pvR/viscocity

My question is how was I supposed to know that thinning the blood lowered the blood's viscosity? What affects viscosity of a liquid other than heat? I thought by thinning the blood, it meant to decrease the arterie's radius and thus would lower Reynold's number.

P.S. In case anyone was curious the answer was D) Lowering the blood density without thinning it which makes perfect sense.

Thanks in advance

"Thinning" a liquid is a common phrase for making it less viscous. For example, paint thinner makes paint runnier, you can thin glue out with water if you need to spread it, etc. So, thinning the blood makes it less viscous because that's essentially the definition Next time, think about what it means when someone says "aspirin is a blood thinner". For now, chalk it up to never having heard that phrase before and don't worry!

Yes, I understand that 'blood thinner' isn't the best term for an anticoagulant and it's probably not a direct parallel to viscosity, but the imagery is vivid and relevant enough to aid recall