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Fluid
Mechanics (10.303 & 14.301)
Course Description and Requirements
Course
Description
TThis course introduces the student to several fundamental concepts
and applications of fluid mechanics. It overviews the basic properties
of fluids, the study of fluid statics and fluid flow systems,
and the development and application of the appropriate mass, momentum,
and energy balance relationships needed to solve a variety of
practical problems, with a particular focus on the macroscopic
view. Emphasis is on the ability to apply the basic principles
to the design and analysis of engineering systems involving applications
in hydrostatics, internal flows, pump selection, flow measurement,
etc.. Some discussion of open channel and external flows is also
treated as time permits. The course also focuses on proper problem-solving
strategy and on the correct use of units in engineering analysis.
Textbook
Y. A. Cengel and J. M. Cimbala, Fluid Mechanics - Fundamentals
and Applications, McGraw Hill (2006).
Prerequisites
Mathematics through Calculus III and Differential Equations.
Computational analysis capabilities with Excel, Matlab, or an
equivalent package.
Course Website
http://profjrwhite.com/courses.htm
Course Requirements
The requirements for this course include two exams during the
semester, a comprehensive final exam, several short quizzes, and
a variety of homework assignments and projects. The homework/projects
will be collected, and selected problems will be graded for technical
content, organization, and for overall professional appearance.
The graded homework and projects will be worth 40% of the final
grade. This is significant since it is expected that a large part
of the learning of fluid mechanics will be associated with the
student’s effort on the homework assignments. Late homework
will be accepted and recorded as being complete, but severe late
penalties will be applied. A maximum grade of 50% will be given
for any late work since some solutions are discussed in class
and all solutions are posted shortly after the assignments are
collected.
Short quizzes may also be given during class lectures to address
key concepts from previous classes and from the assigned reading.
These quizzes will be evaluated and the quiz grades will be integrated
into your homework grade for the course.
Also, with only two exams required during the semester and a final
exam during Finals Week, it is expected that everyone will be
present for the scheduled examinations -- thus, no makeup exams
will be given (except for extreme emergency situations)!!! Since
the quizzes are unannounced, this no-makeup policy also applies
to the quizzes -- so you should plan to attend classes on a regular
basis.
Since a lot of support material is needed for solving most fluid
mechanics problems (i.e. from several data tables and figures
throughout your text), and because I am not a big fan of making
students memorize a bunch of facts and equations, both the semester
exams and the final exam will be open-book tests! Thus, you should
become well acquainted with your text as the semester progresses.
One or more projects may also be given during the semester. Evaluation
of these projects will be integrated into your overall HW Grade.
The projects typically require a combination of analytical and
computer analyses (and possibly some lab work) and a professional
summary report of your work. The project reports should discuss
the analyses performed for the projects and identify the key results
and conclusions that were obtained. Small teams of 2 or 3 students
are encouraged to work together for the projects.
Grading Policy
The final grade for this course will be determined as follows:
