If the free path length of air at sea level is 6.6 m, at
what size would you expect that normal equations of motion (like the
Euler and Navier-Stokes equations) become unusuable? When the body
size becomes comparable to the mean molecular spacing or to the mean
free path length?
Repeat for 200 km height, where the number of molecules is 8
/m
and the free path length 200 m. Can you define a
continuum air velocity and density for the flow around a rocket?
Can you use continuum equations?