Lighthill, James An informal introduction to theoretical fluid mechanics. (English) Zbl 0604.76002 IMA Monograph Series, 2. The Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. Oxford: Clarendon Press. XI, 260 p. (1986). This book emphasizes the importance of fluid mechanics in many contexts like motion through fluids, circulation systems, energy transfer in engines and drag of bodies in fluids. All the chapters are very well arranged. He has succeeded in explaining in a simple way the motion of fluids which are complex. Difficult concepts like boundary layers and turbulence are made simple by his lucid explanation. Emphasis is made on the problem of how to bridge the world of mathematics and the world of experiment and observation. Illustrative examples are concerned with water and air. These deal with circulation systems and resistance and the mechanics making flight possible. They also deal with energy transfer in certain types of turbine. In the section on wings and wing like surfaces in engineering and nature, it is particularly interesting to read about the flight of birds and fish in the light of mechanics of fluids. The book can be read and enjoyed by those with a good background of applied mathematics. Reviewer: N.R.Rajappa Cited in 2 ReviewsCited in 44 Documents MSC: 76-01 Introductory exposition (textbooks, tutorial papers, etc.) pertaining to fluid mechanics 76B47 Vortex flows for incompressible inviscid fluids 76B15 Water waves, gravity waves; dispersion and scattering, nonlinear interaction 76D10 Boundary-layer theory, separation and reattachment, higher-order effects Keywords:energy transfer; drag of bodies; boundary layers; turbine; wings; wing like surfaces; flight of birds PDFBibTeX XML