How Fluids Work: 2021 Edition

by Brian J. Kirby

An introductory fluid mechanics textbook suitable for introductory engineering courses. Designed for use in the Introductory Fluid Mechanics course taught by the author in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.The author's Introductory Fluid Mechanics course is structured around approximately 40 case studies which describe events or products through the lens of introductory fluid mechanics concepts e.g., hydrostatics, Bernoulli and Euler equations, integral and differential conservation equations for mass and momentum, irrotational flow, Couette flow, Poiseuille flow, inviscid compressible flow, capillarity, pipe and pumping sizing and design, et cetera. The cover art displays many of these case studies--disk drives, tree respiration, drag reduction via streamlining and dimpling, carburation for engines and spray paint guns, scuba diving, skydiving, surfing, turbines, propellers, helicopters, and more.The text serves as a systematic companion to the class, delineating these introductory fluids concepts with relation to these case studies and to the other topics (dynamics, thermodynamics, solid mechanics) typical to an engineering education.

535 pages, Paperback

Published September 9, 2021