Flow, pressure, and conservation

Develop fluid equations from mass and momentum balance, then solve representative inviscid and viscous flows with clear boundary conditions.

10 published lessons1 module314 min of guided study
  1. 01
    Flow, pressure, and conservationadvanced · 10 lessons

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Flow, pressure, and conservation

Develop fluid equations from mass and momentum balance, then solve representative inviscid and viscous flows with clear boundary conditions.

  1. 01

    Watching a flow and following its material

    Translate between a velocity field and particle paths, and distinguish streamlines from the histories recorded by tracers.

    34 min
  2. 02

    Conservation of mass along a moving element

    Derive the material derivative and continuity equation, then separate incompressibility from constant density and steady flow.

    34 min
  3. 03

    Pressure forces and Bernoulli’s qualified constant

    Derive an inviscid momentum balance and use Bernoulli only along the paths and under the assumptions that support it.

    34 min
  4. 04

    Local rotation and circulation carried by material

    Relate curl to circulation and apply Kelvin’s theorem without confusing a moving loop, a fixed contour, and a constant vorticity.

    34 min
  5. 05

    Potential flow and inertia in the surrounding fluid

    Reduce irrotational incompressible flow to a boundary problem and calculate the added inertia of an ideal accelerating sphere.

    34 min
  6. 06

    Navier–Stokes stress and viscosity

    Build the Newtonian constitutive law, keep shear and bulk viscosity distinct, and connect stress gradients with momentum transport.

    29 min
  7. 07

    Reynolds number and flow similarity

    Nondimensionalize fluid momentum balance, design matched-scale experiments, and identify what Reynolds similarity does and does not establish.

    27 min
  8. 08

    Couette and Poiseuille solutions

    Solve fully developed flow between parallel plates, distinguish wall-driven and pressure-driven motion, and check stress and flow-rate balances.

    29 min
  9. 09

    Boundary Layers and Flow Separation

    Resolve thin viscous regions, estimate laminar wall shear, and distinguish steady separation from a universal zero-shear rule.

    29 min
  10. 10

    Compressible Flow and Mach Number

    Connect acoustic information speed to thermodynamic closure, Mach number, choking, and the branches of ideal nozzle flow.

    30 min
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