ENGLISH

Mechanics of Swimming and Flying

By Stephen Childress

Book information

Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Year
1981
ISBN
0521280710, 9780521280716
LCC
QP310.F5 C48 1981
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
80 MB (84238610 bytes)
Series
Cambridge Studies in Mathematical Biology
Pages
168\165
Topic
Education
Time added
2011-06-04 13:46:07

Description

This book provides a clear and concise summary of the fluid dynamics of the locomotion of living organisms. The biological phenomena described in detail range from the swimming of bacteria and fish to the flying of insects and birds. The breadth of treatment requires the study of two basic fluid-dynamical regimes. In the first case, that of small organisms, the viscosity of the fluid is paramount in deciding the most effective swimming strategy. However, for larger insects, birds, and most fish, the viscosity of the air or water may be treated as if it were zero, and resulting mechanisms of propulsion are very different. Both these types are studied, with emphasis on the unsteady character of natural movements. Written for the advanced student, this volume assumes familiarity with basic fluid mechanics, although some elementary topics are included. It will be readily accessible to students of applied mathematics and biologists who have engineering or physics backgrounds.

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