Department Syllabus
MAT 221A: Mathematical Fluid Dynamics

When taught: Fall, alternate years
Suggested text ($): I.M. Cohen and P. K. Kundu, "Fluid Mechanics," Chapters 1, 3-7 ($90)
Units/lectures: 4 units; lecture/term paper or discussion
Prerequisites: MAT 118B or consent of instructor

Catalog description

Kinematics and dynamics of fluids. The Euler and Navier-Stokes equations. Vorticity dynamics. Irrotational flow. Low Reynolds number flows and the Stokes equations. High Reynolds number flows and boundary layers. Compressible fluids. Shock waves.

Suggested schedule

Prepared by: Albert Fannjiang
Posted: March 2009

LecturesSections Topics/Comments
1Chapter 1 Introduction
13.1 - 3.3 Lagrangian and Eulerian descriptions
13.4 - 3.5 Streamline, path line, streak line
13.6 - 3.7 Strain rate
13.8 - 3.9 Vorticity, circulation, principal axes
1Chapter 3.10 - 3.13 Shear flows, vortex flows, streamfunction
24.1 - 4.9 Conservation laws
14.10 - 4.11 Constitutive equation, Navier-Stokes equation
1Chapter 4.13 Mechanical energy equation
14.14 - 4.15 Thermodynamics
14.16 - 4.17 Bernoulli equation
14.18 - 4.19 Boussinesq approximation, boundary conditions
15.1 - 5.3 Vortex lines, vortex tubes
25.4 Kelvin's Circulation Theorem, Helmholtz Vortex Theorems
15.5 Vorticity equation
15.6 Biot-Savart law
15.8 - 5.9 Vortex sheet
16.1 - 6.7 Irrotational flows
26.8 - 6.11 Flows and drags past 2-d body, Blasius Theorem, Kutta-Zhukhovsky Lift Theorem
16.20 - 6.22 Flows and drags around a 3-d body, d'Alembert paradox
17.1 - 7.5 Surface gravity waves
17.6 Deep and shallow water approximations
27.8 - 7.10 Group velocity, energy flux, wave dispersion
17.13 The Stokes wave
27.15 - 7.17 Internal waves

COMMENT: I taught 221AB from this book in 2007-2008 and appreciated the clarity, readability and variety of interesting topics covered in the book. Cohen & Kundu also has a lot more material than one can cover in a two-quarter course. It is, however, not written in the style of a typical "mathematical fluids" book. For the latter, one can consult, e.g., the well written Mathematical Theory of Incompressible Nonviscous Fluids by Marchioro and Pulvirenti. Such books are often more focused but limited in scope.