Theory 02/Reynolds Number/Fish schools
Schools Switch at a Reynolds
The claim
Fish school structure changes at a critical Reynolds number set by body length and swimming speed, so the same species forms different formations at different speeds.
01Mechanism
Below the transition, viscous interactions dominate and individuals follow local flow; above it, inertial wakes dominate and the school organises around them.
02Prediction
Formation should change at a critical Reynolds.
03Refutation
Formation fixed by species would remove the transition.