What is Fluid dynamics?
{{Continuum mechanics}} '''Fluid Dynamics''' talks about how [[Fluid|fluids]] ([[liquid]]s and [[gas]]es) work. It is one of the oldest parts of the study of [[Physics]], and is studied by [[Physicist|physicists]], [[Mathematician|mathematicians]], and [[Engineering|engineers]]. [[Mathematics]] can describe how fluids move using mathematical formulas called [[equation]]s. The fluid dynamics of gases are called [[aerodynamics]]. Understanding how fluids behave helps us understand things like [[flight]] or [[ocean current]]<nowiki/>s. Fluid dynamics can be used to understand [[weather]], because [[Cloud|clouds]] and [[air]] are fluids. Fluid dynamics can also be used to understand how [[aeroplane]]s fly through the air or how [[ship]]s and [[submarine]]s move through water. [[Computer program]]<nowiki/>s can use the mathematical equations of fluid dynamics to model and predict the actions of moving fluids. Computers have helped us understand fluid dynamics very much, and some people study how to model or simulate fluids only with a computer. Studying how fluid dynamics can be done with computers is called '''computational fluid dynamics''' (or CFD for short). == Important equations in fluid dynamics == The mathematical equations that govern fluid flow are simple to think about but very hard to solve. In most real life cases there is no way to get a solution that can be written down and a computer must be used to calculate the answer instead. There are three fundamental [[Equation|equations]] based on three rules. '''[[Conservation of mass]]:''' mass is neither created nor destroyed, it simply moves from one place to another. This gives the mass conservation equation. Sometimes this may not apply such as a flow involving a chemical reaction. '''[[Conservation of energy]]:''' this is the [[first law of thermodynamics]], energy is never created or destroyed, it just changes form (i.e. [[kinetic energy]] into [[potential energy]]) or moves around. '''Conservation of momentum:''' this is [[Newton's laws of motion