Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 April 2006
Standard approximations expressing the drag of a sphere as a function of Reynolds number are reappraised in the light of the evident requirement that drag reverses with the direction of motion. It is thereby highlighted that the relation between the drag and the velocity of a sphere is not analytic. Another, simpler example is cited to illustrate a non-analytic relation between physical properties, which is appreciated to be a common feature of hydrodynamic models that rely on the abstract notion of an infinite incompressible fluid.