In: **"Fluid Dynamics", Chapter 3 (Turbulence), Section 26,** Landau and Lifchitz analyze the problem of the stability of a steady flow past a body of finite size. The fluid is assumed to be incompressible and they reach the conclusion that perturbations that deviate from steady flows start to grow when a critical Reynolds number is reached (ASIK, this critical Reynolds number in unrelated to the $\mathbb{Re}_c$ at which the laminar flow becomes turbulent). They also deduce that the amplitude of the perturbation grows proportional to: $$A\propto\sqrt{Re-Re_c}$$. Would this be at the origin of vortex shedding? What's the name of this critical Reynolds number? How does this relate to Strouhal's number? Thank you very much in advance. ---------- ---------- Well this is leading me nowhere again. This is what I think: 1. Vortex shedding introduces a NATURAL time scale. 2. The speed of sound is the maximum velocity at which information travells inside the fluid. 3. Assume that the incoming fluid velocity increases: the natural time scale decreases and viscidity decreases (eddies live longer) while the speed of sound stays the same. 4. **This situation is untenable**. At sufficiently long distances from the obstacle (downstream), eddies become completely aloof of whatever is happening upstream.