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Fluid Mechanics

Fluid mechanics is the branch of physics that deals with the flow of fluids, through the investigation of their properties, functions and characteristics. Fluids are classified as both liquids and gases, and studying them is an essential part of physics since it pertains to all objects that move and that are not in a vacuum.

Due to the nature of its focus, fluid mechanics is as significant to large-scale issues (for example, the prediction of natural phenomena such as global weather and wave patterns) as it is to small-scale issues (for example, how blood flows through the human body.) Fluid mechanics poses questions such as, “How is an airplane’s wings affected by air flow?” “What makes fish such efficient swimmers?” “Analyzing only the dispersal of deposit made on the ground by a volcanic eruption, what can be determined about the force and duration of the eruption?”

Like solid mechanics, fluid mechanics is considered to be a sub-category of the broader science of continuum mechanics. A common method utilized by researchers tackling problems related to fluid mechanics is to calculate the different properties of the fluid being studied, such as temperature, velocity, density and pressure.

Web Resources On Fluid Mechanics

Going with the flow
Wikipedia: Fluid Mechanics

Book Resources On Fluid Mechanics

Fundamentals of Fluid Mechanics by Bruce R. Munson, et al
Schaum's Outline of Fluid Mechanics and Hydraulics by Ranald V. Giles, et al

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