This book is exceptional in providing an up-to-date, but compact, introduction to the field of hydrodynamics and fluid dynamics that is both sufficiently comprehensive and easy to read. It covers all the elements of compressible and incompressible fluid dynamics, from the basic concepts through to the constituent equations and their applications. Fluid flows in different environments are thoroughly discussed, and specific aspects such as dissipation, turbulence, shock waves, and blast waves receive detailed attention. The book contains many exercises and draws attention to numerical solutions to specific problems. The book is ideal for undergraduate and graduate students and young researchers in physics, astrophysics, mathematics (pure and applied), and engineering. As this book is intended for a wide audience, the mathematical prerequisites are kept to a low level.

Provides a comprehensive and easy-to-read introduction to basic fluid dynamics, suitable for a wide readership Contains both exercises and historical notes Highlights numerical solutions to specific problems

Autorentext
Roberto A. Capuzzo-Dolcetta worked for 20 years as a full-time researcher at the University of Roma La Sapienza, until, in July 2000, he became Associate Professor in Astronomy and Astrophysics, where he is now teaching Fluid dynamics for Astrophysics and Theoretical Astrophysics. He has also a long term experience in teaching Gravitational Physics and Theoretical Mechanics at both undergraduate and graduate level. He has also been teaching in the United States, delivering, for instance, the undergraduate course on Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology at the University of Washington and Seattle and presenting lectures for graduate students at Boston University. Since May 2010 he has been a scientific reviewer for ISCRA (Italian Super Computing Research Allocation) at CINECA and leader of the panel of Universe Science of the Access Committee of PRACE (the european infrastructure for super computing). His research activity is mainly theoretical, in the field of stellar clusters, bothgalactic and extragalactic. He is an expert in sophisticated numerical methods to deal with large self-gravitating N-body systems. He has obtained important results concerning the evolution and dynamics of the globular cluster systems in galaxies, and proposed a new original explanation for mass accretion and activity of galactic nuclei. He is the author of more than 200 scientific papers in international journals.

Inhalt
Introduction.- Chapter 1 Fluids and their fundamental aspects.- Chapter 2 The basic equations.- Chapter 3. Fluid flows in dierent environments.- 3.1. Fluids in terrestrial and astrophysical context.- Chapter 4. Discontinuities in fluid flows.- Chapter 5. Blast waves.- Chapter 6. Peculiar Fluid Dynamics.- Appendix Useful mathematical tools.