Description

This book began as lecture notes for an Oregon State University course in fluid mechanics/ designed for beginning graduate students in physical oceanography. Because of its fundamental nature/ this course is often taken by students outside physical oceanography/ e.g./ atmospheric science/ civil engineering/ physics and mathematics. In later courses/ the student will discover esoteric fluid phenomena such as internal waves that propagate through the sky/ water phase changes that govern clouds/ and planetary rotation effects that control large-scale winds and ocean currents. In contrast/ this course concerns phenomena that we have all been familiar with since childhood: flows you see in sinks and bathtubs/ in rivers/ and at the beach. In this context/ we develop the mathematical techniques and scientific reasoning skills needed for higher-level courses and professional research.