Customer Reviews

A Mathematical Introduction to Fluid Mechanics (Texts in Applied Mathematics) (v. 4)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

An ideal book for the applied mathematician and mathematical physicist. This little text is deceptive in scope, covering the constitutive equations of motion, vorticity, and up through problems in gas dynamics. The book is also quite appropriate for self study, even more beneficial if studied in conjunction with G.K. Batchelor's classic text "An Introduction to Fluid Dynamics" for additional physical insight. Overall Marsden and Chorin have developed a classic introductory text.

I would agree with the first reviewer's comments that this is an excellent book for someone with a strong advanced math background. It is a very concise mathematical treatment of fluid mechanics. I can also see why the 2nd reviewer had some issues. I would not recommend this book for an undergrad class as it does not have very strong verbal descriptions of the mathematical formulas which would make understanding somewhat difficult to the non-mathematician, but I would not trust his judgment on accuracy. This book is very good for the graduate engineer that wants to challenge his understanding of fluid mechanics to a more mathematical understanding. If you are not confident in your math skills however, you may want to look elsewhere.

The book is excellent for a mathematician or a engineering student with good math basis. You do not need to know a lot of advance math in order to follow the book. However I think more formalism should be included in some essential parts of the book and it also should include a few more examples.

I've taken a 3rd year undergraduate fluid mechanics course and we've used this as our textbook. It was a complete disaster. Let me start by saying this book pays absolutely no respect to its readers - it's filled not only with typos (and lots of them!) but also with very flimsy arguments. Now, whenever I do not understand an argument I usually think that I did not get it, or perhaps I do not understand the material enough, or that I simply have to fill in the gaps - but in this book, there are no gaps, the arguments are just lousy. Some steps even seem to be wrong, and I say that after debating them for a long while with my friends. I strongly recommend you eye this book with great suspicion.