A fluid is a liquid or a gas.

Equations of motion for a fluid do not depend on l iquid or gas, but the equation of state will differ. The basic feature of a fluid is t hat it can flow this is the essence of any definition of it. However, flow applies to substances that are not true fluids for example a fine powder piled on a sloping surface will flow. For example, flour poured in a column onto a flat surface wil l form a roughly conical pile, with a large angle of repose, whereas water, which is a true fluid, poured onto a fully wetted surface will spread uniformly over it. Eq ually, a powder may be heaped in a spoon or bowl, whereas a liquid will always form a level surface. Any definition of a fluid must allow for these facts, so a fluid may be defined as matter capable of flowing, and either finding its own level (if a l iquid), or filling the whole of its container (if a gas). Once we restrict ourselves to an ideal gas, such as for steady, level atmospheric flight, distinctions between air as a Newtonian fluid and fine particulates are clear. A Newtonian fluid is one in which shear stress is proportional to rate of shearing strain; this is never fou nd in particulates. Experiment shows that an extremely fine powder, in which the particles are not much larger than molecular size, finds its own level and may thus come under the common definition of a liquid. Also, a phenomenon well known in the transpor t of sands, gravels, and so forth, is that these substances find their own level if they are agitated by vibration or the passage of air jets through the particl es. These are special cases, however, and do not detract from the authority of the definition of a fluid as a substance that flows or (tautologically) that possess es fluidity.