Hydrodynamics (Dover Books on Physics)

This book was on my applied math grad student son's Christmas list, so I bought it for him, and he's thrilled with it. He immediately started reading it to me. Apparently, it is one of those books he checks out for a year at a time from his university's library. It is definitely one he uses often as a reference. Very pleased with this purchase!

Dense. Complete (for the time during which it was written). But definitely written in a style that I find more obscure than contemporary texts.

Very very good book providing explanations on the basis of hydrodynamics. Covers various topics: NS-equation derivation, irrotational motion, potential fluids, vortexes, waves, viscosity issues and some more. Every step is very well explained. I think is one of the best references in basic fluid dynamics. Only cons: there is no extensive list of the cited papers (at least in my edition, sixth edition/first american edition, 1945), but only a list of the authors.

For specialists only.

This is a textbook on fluids in motion and is a revisit of a work done originally in 1879. It is primarily a text of analysis via mathematics and is a pleasure to add to my personal library of technical works.A very good reference for those interested in fluids. Definitely a good add to your technical bucket list reading.

The first edition of this book was published in 1879 when Sir Horace Lamb was a much younger person (he was serving as an officer in international associations in the 1920's). It remains a standard classic text in hydrodynamics, covering the fundamentals of the subject. The basic science has not changed, but solutions to problems have become much more advanced as some processes are better understood, and as computational methods become more advanced. The text covers the basic equations of motion, irrotational motion, fluid motion in two dimensions and problems in three dimensions, the motion of solids through a liquid, vortex motion, tidal waves, surface waves, waves of expansion, viscosity, and rotating fluids. It is recommended as a standard reference for hydrodynamics and physical oceanography.

This book was written in a time when ideas established by men such as Kelvin and Rayleigh were still exciting and new, and it evolved over the decades to remain a classic reference. You'll find many interesting discussions of fundamental ideas in fluid dynamics that most modern books take for granted, as well as novel approaches to some classic problems. There is more emphasis on the set of "exactly-solvable" problems than more modern books, because of the arrival of the computer and the availability of the numerical solution. Finally, this is not quite a textbook but more of a collection of articles, so much so that the earlier articles often reference later ones in the book. It's a good place to learn about aspects of fluid dynamics, but it's not an introduction. It's often not an easy read for someone stil unfamiliar with the required mathematics or dynamical principles, but you do get a unique and valuable perspective.

As noted by other reviewers, this is a classic fluid mechanics reference text, but not suitable for detailed explanations or beginners. It also suffers from the usual fluid mechanics problem of notation, and the notation in this book is a little dated. However, once you get used to the "short article" layout (vs chapters) and the notation, you will treasure and use this book a long time.

Stunned by the stuff contained in this volume.