- What am
I doing here?
The behavior of fluids is critical to a wide variety of everyday
applications. To understand why airplanes fly, or propellers push, or
curveballs turn, or why the wind blows, we need to first understand the
fundamental behaviors of fluids. We’ll start by defining “fluid”, and
contrasting fluids with solids. We’ll use Newton’s Second Law (SF
= ma)
to predict the motion of fluids, and we’ll use a few ideas from
thermodynamics, too. Also, we’ll play some clever algebraic tricks with
units (“Dimensional Analysis”) to help us simplify complicated problems
to a more manageable level. By the end of the class, you should be adept
at solving problems using the following ideas:
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- the
continuum, fluid fields, streamlines, density, viscosity, control
volumes and control masses, pressure, normal and shear stress, buoyancy,
conservation principles (Bernoulli’s equation, Navier-Stokes), hydraulic
jumps, potential flows, dimensional analysis, boundary layers, lift,
drag, vorticity, and circulation.
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- The
textbook for this class, Fluid Mechanics, by Frank White (6th
edition, McGraw Hill, 2008) is pretty user-friendly. You may also use
earlier editions of the book. Since there are too many subtopics to
cover in a single semester, we will not cover all of the topics in the
text. Also, we will not cover all of the topics in the exact same order
as the text.
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- What’s
this about a project?
Midway through the semester, you will choose a project idea based on one
or more of the topics we’ve studied. Although I will provide some
suggestions for projects, you are permitted to develop your own idea,
subject to my approval. Your projects may be theoretically or
experimentally based. The projects may be individual or group efforts,
and should be open-ended (i.e., you will not be working towards a single
“correct” answer).
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-
How
will I be graded?
Your grade will be determined by:
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- When
are the tests? Here is a tentative schedule of exams. Exams are
currently scheduled as “in class” exams. If the entire class (including
Dr. Pogo) agrees, an exam time, date, or length can be changed (to a two
hour evening exam, for example). Such changes will not affect the exam
questions.
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- Exam #1: Thursday, February 17, 2011 (chapters 1
& 2 of White)
- Exam #2: Thursday, March 24, 2011 (chapters 3 &
6b of White)
- Exam #3: Thursday, April 7, 2011 (chapters 4 & 8
of White)
- Final
Exam: Tuesday, May 10, 2011, 12:00pm – 3:00pm (chapters 1 through 8 of
White)
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- Written Homework Rules
-
- The entire point of having written assignments is to
help you improve your professionalism. Therefore, unlike the CAPA
portion of each weekly assignment, your grade will be based on factors
other than whether you get the right answer.
-
- 1) Use exactly 8½
´
11 inch paper. I will measure it with a ruler. Do not use spiral ring
paper.
- 2) Use only one side of each sheet
- 3)
Put your name on the top of every sheet. Put the assignment number on
the top of the first page (e.g., “Fluids, Written Assignment #3).
-
4) Staple all your sheets together. Paper-clips and torn
corners are not permitted.
- 5)
Clearly and systematically indicate what is given, and what is
sought.
- 6)
Work must progress linearly down the page. If your solution initially
meanders around the page, I expect you to recopy your solutions.
- 7)
Use a pencil. Erase errors instead of blotching them out.
- 8)
Draw and use Free Body diagrams as appropriate for all problems.
Define and use coordinate systems. Specify your choice of “free body”.
Label your forces.
- 9)
Define your symbols, and use subscripts. Not all
velocities can be called “V”, not all pressures can be called “p”.
Every symbol must be unique and clearly defined. Make a list or table of
relevant symbols and their values when this will help me to understand
your solution.
- 10)
Do not even bother to submit nonsensical results (e.g., a negative
pressure).
- 11)
Use words and/or pictures to clarify your method of solution and
your symbol definitions.
- 12)
Solutions should be symbolic. Include the initial fundamental formulas,
but don’t show every step of intermediate algebra. If, for some reason,
your solution uses numeric values, show no more than 4 significant
figures, and include units. The symbol “:=” is (now and for the rest of
your professional life), unacceptable for written work, along with other
“computational” notation (“^”, “E”, “*”, etc.).
- 13)
Box your answers.
- 14)
Plots should be professional and no smaller than 3
´
5 inches. Do not use default font sizes, default trendline formatting
(where every variable is apparently an x or a y), default
line widths, etc.
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- What if
I have trouble with the homework?
Come see me during office hours (see times listed above) and I’ll try to
point you in the right direction. You may never visit office hours for
help on the same day that an assignment is due (you should have gotten
help much earlier than that, and I won’t encourage irresponsible
procrastination). Also, I know that most of you will work in groups, and
I won’t attempt to stop it. However, the learning is in the doing.
Nobody on this planet learns from copying somebody else’s work, no
matter how clear or correct it is. Every part of every problem that you
let somebody else do for you is something that you are deciding that you
just don’t want to learn. You will not have their help on exams!
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Continuum Demo #2: 
Boundary Layer Animation:
Pathlines:
