A model of a Mercury capsule captured by highspeed cameras, showing the forward pressure shockwave and the wake. (Image is taken from NASA's web site: http://www.nasa.gov.)
Instructor(s)
Prof. Wesley Harris
MIT Course Number
16.120
As Taught In
Spring 2003
Level
Graduate
Course Description
Course Features
Course Description
The course begins with the basics of compressible fluid dynamics, including governing equations, thermodynamic context and characteristic parameters. The next large block of lectures covers quasi-one-dimensional flow, followed by a discussion of disturbances and unsteady flows. The second half of the course comprises gas dynamic discontinuities, including shock waves and detonations, and concludes with another large block dealing with two-dimensional flows, both linear and non-linear.