6 Conclusions

In this section of the course we have investigated several powerful ideas. Dimensional analysis can be used to find equations governing a wide range of problems, as well as to check equations. In the form of the Buckingham TT method it can be used to generate dimensionless groups which describe the flow in a size-independent manner. These groups, and the idea of dynamic similarity, enable us to extrapolate information from experiments on models to real flows. They are also a fundamental part of the way we think about fluid dynamics, describing types of flow (turbulent, laminar, sub- or super-critical) and relating to the solution of the Navier Stokes equations.