"The mixture of prose, mathematics, and beautiful illustrations is particularly well chosen." — American Scientist
This monumental text by a noted authority in the field is specially designed to provide an orderly structured introduction to fluid mechanics, a field all too often seen by students as an amorphous mass of disparate equations instead of the coherent body of theory and application it should be. In addition, the book will help upgrade students' mathematical skills as they learn the fundamentals of fluid mechanics.
The text presents a unified method of analysis that poses fluid mechanics problems in precise mathematical language without becoming stiff or unnecessarily rigorous. This method involves three steps: First, the text carefully defines each problem so the student knows what is given and what is missing. Second, each chapter treats the physical aspects of the problems so the student can visualize how things work in the real world. Third, the text represents the physical model by appropriate mathematical symbols and operators, collects these into equations, and then solves them. The result is a superb learning and teaching process that covers everything the engineer needs to know — nature of fluids, hydrostatics, differential and integral equations, dimensional analysis, viscous flows, and other topics — while allowing students to see each element in its relation to the whole.
Each chapter contains numerous examples incorporating problem-solving techniques, demonstrations to illustrate topical material, study questions, boxed equations of significant results, appropriate references to supplementary materials and other study aids. Over 760 illustrations enhance the text. This volume will be an indispensable reference and resource for any student of fluid mechanics or practicing engineer.