Turbulence: An Introduction for Scientists and Engineers

From Book News, Inc.
In this advanced undergraduate or graduate text, based on the course he taught at the University of Cambridge, Davidson examines turbulence in terms of its mathematics, physics, and applications in engineering. He intends to bridge the gap between elementary texts and the more rigorous monographs on the subject, explaining that even after one has studied turbulence at those theoretical levels, there are relatively few situations in which one can make definite predictions about the behavior of turbulence. Undaunted, he describes the classical picture of turbulence, its origins and nature, and the equations of fluid mechanics, followed by discussions of topics such as turbulent sheer flows and simple closure models; the phenomenology of Taylor, Richardson and Kolmogorov; freely decaying, homogeneous turbulence; and special topics such as the influence of rotation, stratification, and magnetic fields, and two-dimensional turbulence.Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR


Book Description
Based on a course by the author at the University of Cambridge, this comprehensive text on turbulence and fluid dynamics is aimed at year 4 undergraduates and graduates in applied mathematics, physics and engineering and provides an ideal reference for industry professionals and researchers. It bridges the gap between elementary accounts of turbulence found in undergraduate texts and more rigorous accounts given in monographs on the subject. Containing exercises and many examples, the author combines the maximum of physical insight with the minimum of mathematical detail where possible. The text is highly illustrated throughout, and includes color plates; all required mathematical techniques are covered in extensive appendices. The text is divided into three parts: Part I consists of a traditional introduction to the classical aspects of turbulence, the nature of turbulence, and the equations of fluid mechanics. Mathematics is kept to a minimum, presupposing only an elementary knowledge of fluid mechanics and statistics. Part II tackles the problem of homogeneous turbulence with a focus on numerical methods. Part III covers certain special topics rarely discussed in introductory texts. Many geophysical and astrophysical flows are dominated by the effects of body forces, such as buoyancy, Coriolis and Lorentz forces. Moreover, certain large-scale flows are approximately two-dimensional and this has led to a concerted investigation of two-dimensional turbulence over the last few years. Both the influence of body forces and two-dimensional turbulence are discussed.


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In this advanced undergraduate or graduate text, based on the course he taught at the University of Cambridge, Davidson examines turbulence in terms of its mathematics, physics, and applications in engineering. He intends to bridge the gap between elementary texts and the more rigorous monographs on the subject, explaining that even after one has studied turbulence at those theoretical levels, there are relatively few situations in which one can make definite predictions about the behavior of turbulence. Undaunted, he describes the classical picture of turbulence, its origins and nature, and the equations of fluid mechanics, followed by discussions of topics such as turbulent sheer flows and simple closure models; the phenomenology of Taylor, Richardson and Kolmogorov; freely decaying, homogeneous turbulence; and special topics such as the influence of rotation, stratification, and magnetic fields, and two-dimensional turbulence. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR


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