Lectures 1, 2. Introduction: Examples of fluid flows in physics, geophysics, aerodynamics, engineering and biology. Fluids as continua. Newton's Second Law for a small element of fluid, leading to the Navier-Stokes equation. Lagrangian and Eulerian viewpoints. Equation for mass conservation.
Lectures 3, 4. Some simple models of fluid flows: Exact solutions of the equations of motion: Poiseuille flow in a pipe, Reynolds's experiment, the Reynolds number; Couette flow between rotating cylinders. Vorticity and its physical interpretation.
Lectures 5, 6. Inviscid flows without vorticity: Electrostatics analogy, applications to aircraft flight. Surface water waves; phase and group velocity; nonlinear waves: the Korteweg-de Vries equation, solitons.
Lecture 7. Very viscous flows: Stokes's Law for the drag on a sphere.
Lectures 8, 9. Rotating flows: rotating reference frames; Taylor-Proudman Theorem; Ekman boundary layers.
T E Faber, Fluid Dynamics for Physicists (C.U.P.)
D J Acheson, Elementary Fluid Dynamics (O.U.P.)
B Massey and J Ward-Smith, Mechanics of Fluids (Stanley Thornes)
J Lighthill, Waves in Fluids (C.U.P.)
M Van Dyke, An Album of Fluid Motion (Parabolic Press)
For introductory reading: The Feynman Lectures, Vol. II, Sections 40, 41 (Addison Wesley)
.................
For more advanced background: E Guyon, J-P Hulin, L Petit, C D Mitescu, Physical Hydrodynamics (O.U.P.)
Some more nice pictures: M Samimy, K S Breuer, L G Leal and P H Steen, A Gallery of Fluid Motion (C.U.P.)
.................
Set 2 (pdf format).
Set 3 (pdf format).
Set 4 (pdf format).
Set 5 (pdf format).
Set 6 (pdf format).
Set 7 (pdf format).
Additional notes on vortex lines and vortex tubes (pdf format).
Three old exam questions that were given as worked examples (pdf format).
1996: E1,E2, E3; 1997: E1, E2, E3; 1998: E1, E2, E3; 1999: E1, E2, E3; 2000: E1, E2, E3, E4; 2001: E1, E2, E3, E4; 2002: E1, E3; 2003: E1, E3.
To download these papers, go to this link, and click the relevant year under `Final Honour School part B (Old Course)'.
Gallery of Fluid Motion (American Institute of Physics)
Gallery of Fluid Mechanics (Mark Cramer)
Tsunami website, University of Washington
The Dynamics of Rotating Fluids, AOPP, Oxford University
Atmosphere and Ocean in a Laboratory, Kyoto University
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, School of Oceanography, University of Washington
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, University of Colorado
Tornado movies from Stormchase.us
Aerodynamics in Sports Equipment
Irrotational Flow of an Inviscid Fluid: a nice treatment, with excellent visualisations, leading up to a discussion of flow round aerofoils.
Applications of the Magnus effect: Introduction by a Japanese company to possible applications of rotating devices, based on the Magnus effect, to various engineering problems.
Wind turbine using the Magnus effect (1): Movie of a prototype device for wind power generation.
Wind turbine using the Magnus effect (2): Another movie of a prototype device for wind power generation.
A kite using the Magnus effect
Model of Anton Flettner's rotor ship: A model demonstration of the ship designed by Anton Flettner in the 1920s that used rotating cylinders as sails!
Jacques Cousteau's catamaran, based on Flettner's design of a rotor ship
Simulation of motion of point vortices: a Java applet by Brian Tvedt.
Another simulation of motion of (editable) sets of point vortices: a Java applet courtesy of James Montaldi (Manchester University).
"How do Wings Work?", by Holger Babinsky: uses careful physical arguments and points out common misconceptions!
--> Solitons Home Page (Heriot-Watt University)
Link to Undergraduate Studies in AOPP
Last update: 16 March 2010