Fluid Mechanics: A Very Short Introduction

About this book

Fluid mechanics is an important branch of physics concerned with the way in which fluids, such as liquids and gases, behave when in motion and at rest. A quintessential interdisciplinary field of science, it interacts with many other scientific disciplines, from chemistry and biology to mathematics and engineering.

This Very Short Introduction presents the field of fluid mechanics by focusing on the underlying physical ideas and using everyday phenomena to demonstrate them, from dripping taps to swimming ducks. Eric Lauga shows how this set of fundamental physical concepts can be applied to a wide range of flow behaviours and highlights the role of fluid motion in both the natural and industrial worlds. This book also considers future applications of fluid mechanics in science.

Contents

1. Fluids
2. Viscosity
3. Pipes
4. Dimensions
5. Boundary layers
6. Vortices
7. Instabilities
8. Researching fluids and flows
Further Reading
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Eric Lauga is Professor of Applied Mathematics at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Trinity College. He is the author of over 180 publications in fluid mechanics, biophysics and soft matter, as well as The Fluid Dynamics of Cell Motility (2020). Lauga currently serves as Lead Editor for the APS journal Physical Review Fluids, is a Fellow of the APS, and is a recipient of the APS Andreas Acrivos Dissertation Award (2006), the APS François Frenkiel Award (2015), and the APS Early Career Award for Soft Matter Research (2018).