Introduction

Why Fluid Mechanics?

Fluid mechanics governs the flow of water through pipes, the lift on aircraft wings, the pumping of blood through arteries, and the movement of the atmosphere. It is one of the richest branches of classical physics — simple equations that produce astonishing complexity.

How This Course Works

You will implement the core equations of fluid mechanics in pure Python. Each lesson introduces one concept — a physical law or empirical formula — explains the math, and asks you to write the equation as a function. All constants (gravitational acceleration $g = 9.81$ m/s², water density $\rho_w = 1000$ kg/m³) are defined inside each function for clarity.

What You Will Learn

This course contains 16 lessons organized into 4 chapters:

1. Fluid Fundamentals — Density, pressure, and the gauge/absolute pressure distinction.
2. Fluid Statics — Hydrostatic pressure, Archimedes' principle, buoyancy, and manometers.
3. Fluid Dynamics — The continuity equation, Bernoulli's theorem, the Reynolds number, drag force, Venturi meters, Pitot tubes, and Mach numbers.
4. Viscous Flow — Newton's law of viscosity, Hagen-Poiseuille flow, Darcy-Weisbach pipe losses, Stokes' law, and surface tension.

Let's start with density.