Article
Article
Fluid mechanics
Article By:
White, Frank M. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island.
Adams, Thomas M. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indiana.
Last reviewed:June 2022
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.262300
Show previous versions
- Fluid mechanics, published June 2020:Download PDF
Get Adobe Acrobat Reader
The branch of physics and engineering science concerned with the relation between the forces acting on fluids (liquids and gases), the motions of fluids, and the forces caused by fluids on their surroundings. Fluid mechanics is comprised of two major subdivisions: fluid statics, the study of fluids at rest, and fluid dynamics, the study of fluids in motion (Fig. 1). The applications of fluid mechanics are far-reaching, including but not limited to aeronautical, mechanical, civil, and chemical engineering fields, as well as the scientific fields of astrophysics, biology, geophysics, meteorology, oceanography, and physics. See also: Astrophysics; Biology; Engineering; Fluids; Geophysics; Meteorology; Motion; Oceanography; Physics
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
