Apparent viscosity

In fluid mechanics, apparent viscosity (sometimes denoted η) is the shear stress applied to a fluid divided by the shear rate:

${\displaystyle \eta ={\frac {\tau }{\dot {\gamma }}}}$

For a Newtonian fluid, the apparent viscosity is constant, and equal to the Newtonian viscosity of the fluid, but for non-Newtonian fluids, the apparent viscosity depends on the shear rate. Apparent viscosity has the SI derived unit Pa·s (Pascal-second), but the centipoise is frequently used in practice: (1 mPa·s = 1 cP).