Back to Minicourse List Fluid dynamics is a beautiful subject that builds on many areas of mathematics including vector analysis, mathematical modeling, complex variables, and numerical analysis. The main goal of this minicourse is thus to show the student how these areas link and contribute to a big picture, how the pieces fit into the puzzle, and how to apply the resulting theory to analyze beautiful simple flows to which the students can relate. With this goal we hope to also acomplish more:
(1) review and reinforce basic concepts using a new perspective,
(2) build a background for those students who will continue and work in this area, either as graduate students or in an REU,
(3) entice students to further study in this beautiful field. We will begin by deriving models for fluid flow (Euler and Navier Stokes Equations), analyze properties of these models, obtain fluid flows using complex variables and numerical analysis.
The course is accompanied by a laboratory in which the students do analytical work (study properties of the models), numerical work (use MATLAB tools to compute and plot flow streamlines, vorticity, and pressure fields), and experimental work (for example study simple rotating flows using a small desk-size device).
This course will be taught by Professor Monika Nitsche.