Why Liquids and Gases Behave the Same Way

The Navier-Stokes problem

Chapter 1

The physics of flow

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Chapter 2

The historic formulation

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Chapter 3

The million-dollar mystery

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Chapter 4

The quest for a solution

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YOUR GOAL

Master of The Navier-Stokes problem

Ch 1 · The physics of flow

diego The Physics of Flow

Pressure and viscosity define the way that currents flow.

diego How aerodynamics shapes cars and planes

Predicting the weather with fluid equations

diego Supercomputers use fluid dynamics to track storms and predict tomorrow's weather.

The chaotic transition from smooth to turbulent flow

diego Turbulence is the chaotic, unpredictable movement that happens when fluid flows quickly.

Stokes' Little Swirls

BETA

diego Swipe to guide the water currents to discover how turbulent swirls form.

Fun Fact

Da Vinci's water: Leonardo da Vinci first studied turbulence in the 1500s, sketching swirling water eddies.

Gossip

Which fluid force is most exciting to experience?

Quiz

What engineering field uses fluid math to reduce drag on cars and airplanes?

diego Predicting the weather with fluid equations

Quiz

Which famous Renaissance artist filled his notebooks with sketches of turbulent water eddies in the 1500s?

diego The chaotic transition from smooth to turbulent flow

Quiz

What physical state of matter do both liquids and gases fall under in physics?

diego Why liquids and gases behave the same way

Quiz

What happens to fluid behavior as its flow velocity increases past a critical point?

Quiz

What is the term for smooth, orderly fluid flow without wild swirls?

Quiz

What is the name of the chaotic, swirling motion that occurs when a fluid flows at high speeds?

Quiz

Which of these biological systems is modeled by scientists using fluid dynamics?

Quiz

Why do modern weather forecasters divide the atmosphere into millions of 3D grid boxes?