Ludwig Prandtl (1875-1953)

Prandtl changed the field of fluid mechanics and is called the modern father of fluid mechanics because of his
introduction of boundary layer, turbulence mixing theories etc. Prandtl's other contributions include: the
introduction of the Prandtl number in fluid mechanics, airfoils and wing theory (including theories of aerodynamic
interference, wing-fuselage, wing-propeller, biplane, etc); fundamental studies in the wind tunnel, high speed flow
(correction formula for subsonic compressible flows), theory of turbulence. His work and achievements in fluid
dynamics resulted in equations that simplified understanding, and many are still used today. Therefore many
referred to him as the father of modern fluid mechanics.
Evangelista Torricelli (1608-1647)
Evangelista Torricelli was an Italian physicist and mathematician. He was the first person to create a sustained
vacuum and he invented the barometer. The torr (symbol: Torr), a unit of pressure, is named in his honor. In fluid
dynamics, he discovered “Torricelli’s theorem”. It states that the flow of liquid through an opening is proportional to
the square root of the height of the liquid.
Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782)
Bernoulli carried out fluid mechanics experiments in which he measured water flowing out of a vessel. He noticed
water flowed out faster as the height of the liquid in the vessel was increased. He established a mathematical
relationship between the height of the water in the vessel and its pressure and its velocity flowing from the vessel.
He also looked at the situation from the viewpoint of converting potential energy to kinetic energy. Bernoulli
returned to the ideas he had first learned from his father and developed them. He applied the idea of energy
conservation to fluids in motion. In doing so he discovered The Bernoulli Effect, the discovery he is most famous for,
that when a fluid flows through a region in which its speed increases, its pressure will fall. He correctly described the
effect mathematically.
Claude-Louis Navier (1785-1836)
Navier was a French engineer and physicist who specialized in mechanics. The Navier–Stokes equations are named
after him and George Gabriel Stokes. In physics, the Navier–Stokes equations, named after Claude-Louis
Navier and George Gabriel Stokes, describe the motion of viscous fluid substances. These balance equations arise
from applying Isaac Newton's second law to fluid motion, together with the assumption that the stress in the fluid is
the sum of a diffusing viscous term (proportional to the gradient of velocity) and a pressure term—hence describing
viscous flow.
Osborne Reynolds (1842-1912)
Osborne Reynolds was a British engineer, physicist, and educator best known for his work in hydraulics and
hydrodynamics. Though his earliest professional research dealt with such properties as magnetism, electricity, and
heavenly bodies, Reynolds soon began to concentrate on fluid mechanics. In this area he made a number of
significant contributions. His studies of condensation and heat transfer between solids and fluids brought radical
revision in boiler and condenser design, while his work on turbine pumps permitted their rapid development. He
formulated the theory of lubrication (1886) and in 1889 developed the standard mathematical framework used in
turbulence work. Among his other contributions were the explanation of the radiometer and an early absolute
determination of the mechanical equivalent of heat. The “Reynolds stress” in fluids with turbulent motion and the
“Reynolds number” used for modeling in fluid flow experiments are named for him.
Edme Mariotte (1620-1684)
Edme Mariotte a French physicist and plant physiologist who, independent of Robert Boyle, discovered the law that
states that the volume of a gas varies inversely with its pressure. Although widely known as Boyle’s law, this basic
tenet of physicsand chemistry is called Mariotte’s law in France. In his Discours de la nature de l’air (1676; “Discourse
on the Nature of Air”), in which he coined the word barometer, Mariotte stated Boyle’s law and went farther by
noting that the law holds only if there is no change in temperature.
Blaise pascal (1623-1662)
One of his contribution is the Pascal's law, a principle in fluid mechanics that states that a pressure change occurring
anywhere in a confined incompressible fluid is transmitted throughout the fluid such that the same change occurs
everywhere. In the hands of Blaise Pascal hydrostatics assumed the dignity of a science, and in a treatise on the
equilibrium of liquids . The laws of the equilibrium of liquids were demonstrated in the most simple manner, and
amply confirmed by his experiments. The Pascal (Pa) unit of pressure was named in his honor.
Isaac Newton (1643-1727)
The effects of friction and viscosity in diminishing the velocity of running water were noticed in the Principia of Sir
Isaac Newton, who threw much light upon several branches of hydromechanics. postulated his laws of motion and
the law of viscosity of linear fluids, now called newtonian. The theory first yield the frictionless assumption which led
to several beautiful mathematical solutions.
William Froude (1810-1879)
Froude was one of the principal players in the field of fluid dynamics. Froude's most important work was in
determining the amount of force that water exerts on a body passing through it. This was of great concern to the
British navy, who wanted to maximize the speed and efficiencyof their ships. Froude conducted a great deal
of laboratoryresearch before developing Froude's law, which is a tool used to determine the amount of force
required topull an object against the retarding wave that is built up in front of it asit travels. By using Froude's law,
the British navy was able to towits ships from one place to another more efficiently.
Ernst Mach (1838-1916)
Austrian physicist and philosopher who established important principles of optics, mechanics, and wave dynamics.
Between 1873 and 1893 he developed optical and photographic techniques for the measurement of sound waves
and wave propagation. In 1887 he established the principles of supersonics and the Mach number—the ratio of the
velocity of an object to the velocity of sound.