8 years ago
2
Famous Fluid Equations Are Incomplete
A 115-year effort to mathematically bridge the particle and fluid descriptions of nature has led physicists to an unexpected answer. By Natalie Wolchover.
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https://www.quantamagazine.org
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I wish I had studied hard enough to enjoy this as more than just a science story. Can someone nip back and tell 18yr old me how cool science is once you get past the basics?
Napier-Stokes has a pretty basic issue; it models flow well enough, but doesn't give an explanation for turbulent flow. Turbulence has all kinds of impacts on engineering applications (like will a rock protrusion up river from a bridge cause turbulence that will undermine its supports? etc.). Getting at a better theoretical model will helps us build better solutions.