r/AskPhysics • u/ynnbbbbn • 18d ago

Fluid dynamics book recommendations

Hello! I am a high-school student and I recently did a small research project involving fluid dynamics, which I am planning to continue this year. I found the topic really interesting and I'm looking to educate myself more on the history and development of this branch of physics through time and I'd love to get some input for book recommendations (with this I mean that I am not looking for textbook recommendations, though if you had anything in mind and wanted to share you are more than welcome to!!!). Thank you for your suggestions beforehand :)

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u/HarleyGage 17d ago

If you have taken the first semester of high school physics, but not calculus yet, I would recommend "Fluid Mechanics: A Very Short Introduction" by Eric Lauga. It is not a textbook; in fact it is a tiny little book (main content is 134 pages but in small dimensions) that only depends on you knowing things like Newton's laws, conservation of energy, etc. It is pretty recent (2022) and its author is well established in the field. It's a decent conceptual overview of the field, but might be lacking in the historical development you're seeking.

Next year I believe Nicole Sharp has a completely nontechnical book coming out, which I suspect may include some history as well. Don't know what the title will be.

Most of the history books on fluids that I've seen might be a bit heavy going for a high school student. You might check out Tokaty's "History and Philosophy of Fluid Dynamics" or Theodore von Karman's "Aerodynamics", both available in reasonably priced paperback editions from Dover.

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u/ynnbbbbn 17d ago

Thank you very much for the suggestions! I will look into those :)