11.7 • TwO-DI MENSIONAL FLUID FLOW 469
Using the fact that 1/1 11 = ef>x and this equation, we find that the tangent vector
to the curve is
T = ¢>., (x, y) -i1/J., (x, y) = p (x, y) + iq (x, y) = V (x, y).
The main idea of the preceding discussion is the conclusion that, if
F (z) = ¢> (x, y) + i1/I (x, y) (11-35)
is an analytic function, then the family of curves
represents the streamlines of a fluid flow.
The boundary condition for an ideal fluid flow is that V should be parallel
to the boundary curve containing the fluid (the fluid flows parallel to the walls of
a containing vessel). In other words, if Equation (11-35) is the complex potential
for the flow, then the boundary curve must be given by 1fi (x, y) = K for some
constant K; that is, the boundary curve must be a streamline.
We note that the functions