Relative viscosity (
) (a synonym of "viscosity ratio") is the ratio of the
viscosity
Viscosity is a measure of a fluid's rate-dependent drag (physics), resistance to a change in shape or to movement of its neighboring portions relative to one another. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of ''thickness''; for e ...
of a
solution
Solution may refer to:
* Solution (chemistry), a mixture where one substance is dissolved in another
* Solution (equation), in mathematics
** Numerical solution, in numerical analysis, approximate solutions within specified error bounds
* Solu ...
(
) to the viscosity of the
solvent
A solvent (from the Latin language, Latin ''wikt:solvo#Latin, solvÅ'', "loosen, untie, solve") is a substance that dissolves a solute, resulting in a Solution (chemistry), solution. A solvent is usually a liquid but can also be a solid, a gas ...
used (
),
:
.
The significance in Relative viscosity is that it can be analyzed the effect a polymer can have on a solution's viscosity such as increasing the solutions viscosity.
Lead Liquids possess an amount of internal friction that presents itself when stirred in the form of resistance. This resistance is the different layers of the liquid reacting to one another as they are stirred. This can be seen in things like syrup, which has a higher viscosity than water and exhibits less internal friction when stirred. The ratio of this viscosity is known as Relative Viscosity.
References
IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology*
*
Viscosity
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