The pressure drop across a network of microtubules with dichotomous branching shown in the figure is 35mmHg. The feed/discharge hematocrit is 40% and the viscosity of plasma is 1.05cp. Estimate flow through the entire in vitro network, the pressure drop across each segment, and the "tube hematocrit" in each segment. Solution Procedure. Initial considerations: We will neglect losses at the branches and assume that flow is fully developed in each branch. System definition: The system consists of the blood in the network shown. Each branch leads to two daughter vessels of equal dimensions. The branches then converge until a single outlet vessel is formed. Identify governing relationships: We need to account for the Fahraeus-Lindqvist effect in each of the microtubules. The apparent viscosity will be different for each tube size. Once the viscosity is known, the flow resistance for each vessel can be determined