Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
continuity principle
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Discover
The Cheshire Cat is a fictional cat from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. (Alice in Wonderland)
11 Banned Books Through Time
Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.
Why Is Ireland Two Countries?
Mona Lisa, oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503-06; in the Louvre, Paris, France. 77 x 53 cm.
Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous?
Thanksgiving Celebration Traditional Dinner Setting Food Concept
Why Is Thanksgiving in the U.S. Celebrated on a Thursday?
Super Typhoon Noru over the western tropical Pacific Ocean as observed by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA Aqua satellite July 31 2017
What Is the Difference Between a Typhoon and a Super Typhoon?
Santa Claus flying in his sleigh, christmas, reindeer
Was Santa Claus a Real Person?
Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1855), founder of the house of Rothschild; lithograph by Friedrich Lieder, c. 1830.
Where Do Anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories About the Rothschild Family Come From?

continuity principle

physics
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Also known as: continuity equation
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: • Article History
Or:
continuity equation
Related Topics:
fluid flow

continuity principle, Principle of fluid mechanics. Stated simply, what flows into a defined volume in a defined time, minus what flows out of that volume in that time, must accumulate in that volume. If the sign of the accumulation is negative, then the material in that volume is being depleted. The principle is a consequence of the law of conservation of mass. The behaviour of fluids in motion is fully described by this equation, plus a second equation, based on the second of Newton’s laws of motion, and a third equation, based on the conservation of energy.

This article was most recently revised and updated by William L. Hosch.