Fluid Dynamics for Physicists

This book provides an accessible and comprehensive account of fluid dynamics, emphasising throughout the fundamental physical principles involved. In addition to the introductory material, many advanced topics are covered, such as turbulence, vorticity and the behaviour of non-Newtonian fluids.

It is over three hundred and fifty years since Torricelli discovered the law obeyed by fountains, yet fluid dynamics remains an active and important branch of physics. This book provides an accessible and comprehensive account of the subject, emphasising throughout the fundamental physical principles, and stressing the connections with other branches of physics. Beginning with a gentle introduction, the book goes on to cover Bernouilli''s theorem, compressible flow, potential flow, surface waves, viscosity, vorticity dynamics, thermal convection and instabilities, turbulence, non-Newtonian fluids and the propagation and attenuation of sound in gases. Undergraduate or graduate students in physics or engineering who are taking courses in fluid dynamics will find this book invaluable, but it will also be of great interest to anyone who wants to find out more about this fascinating subject.