Lectures, Recommended Reading and Problem Sets (fall 2025):
I. An Introduction to Fluid Mechanics, Lagrangian derivative,
Conservation laws, the Stress Tensor, Hydrostatic equilibrium,
Index notation,
Microphysical basis for continuum fluid equations
- Lecture Notes 1: pdf
- Problem set 1: pdf
Reading: Clarke and Carswell, chapters 1,2.
Watch the film on the Eulerian/Lagrangian Description at
NCFMF
- Problem set 2: pdf
II. Spherical flows, Bondi flow, Bernoulli's equation,
Characteristics, Riemann invariants, Shock jump conditions, Blastwaves,
Self-similar flows
- Lecture Notes 2: pdf
- Problem set 3: pdf
-
Reading:
on Bondi flow:
Clarke and Carswell's Chapter 9, Pringle and King Chapter 3
on Characteristics: ?
Shu's chapter 12?
on Shocks:
Clarke and Carswell's Chapter 7
on Self-similar flows and blast waves:
Clarke and Carswell's Chapter 8
Watch the film on Channel Flow of a Compressive Fluid at
NCFMF
III. Viscous Flows and Accretion Disks, Vorticity, Kelvin's circulation theorem,
alpha-disks, structure of accretion disks
- Lecture Notes 3: pdf
- Problem set 3: pdf
Reading:
on Viscous flow and accretion disks:
Clarke and Carswell's Chapters 11 and 12
Watch films on the Fluid Dynamics of Drag and on Vorticity at
NCFMF
IV. Waves and Instabilities. Sound waves, Instability at an Interface (Rayleigh-Taylor and Kelvin Helmholtz instabilities), Jeans Instability,
Convective Instability, Waves in a Plane-Parallel Atmosphere
- Lecture Notes 5: pdf
- Problem set 5: pdf
Reading: Pringle and King chapter 7-9, Clarke and Carswell Chapter 10
Watch the film on Fluid Instabilities at
NCFMF
V. Magnetohydrodynamics, Magnetic diffusivity and Reynolds number, Magnetic pressure and stress tensor, MHD approximation, Magnetostatics, Alfven waves
- Lecture Notes 6: pdf
- Problem set 6: pdf
Reading: Clarke and Carswell Chap 13
Project.