The Turbulence Problem: A Persistent Riddle in Historical Perspective

by Michael Eckert

Overview

On the road toward a history of turbulence, this book focuses on what the actors in this research field have identified as the “turbulence problem”. Turbulent flow rose to prominence as one of the most persistent challenges in science. At different times and in different social and disciplinary settings, the nature of this problem has changed in response to changing research agendas.

This book does not seek to provide a comprehensive account, but instead an exemplary exposition on the environments in which problems become the subjects of research agendas, with particular emphasis on the first half of the 20th century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030318628
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	10/06/2019
Series:	SpringerBriefs in History of Science and Technology
Edition description:	1st ed. 2019
Pages:	107
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Michael Eckert studied physics at the Technical University of Munich and received his Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from the University of Bayreuth in 1979. He has dedicated his career to the history of physics. Since 1981, Dr. Eckert has been engaged in several projects on the history of modern physics at the Deutsches Museum, Munich. He has authored and co-authored books and articles on such diverse topics as the history of solid-state physics, plasma physics, and fluid dynamics. Since 2012, he has been a member of the Editorial Board of the European Physical Journal H: Historical Perspectives on Contemporary Physics (EPJH).

Table of Contents

Chapter 1.- Hydrodynamics versus hydraulics.- Chapter 2.- The turbulence problem in the 1920s.- Chapter 3.- The rise of statistical theories of turbulence.- Chapter 4.- Turbulence in WW II.- Chapter 5.- Expectations and hopes: 1946–1961.- Chapter 6.- Computational approaches.- Chapter 7.- Chaos and turbulence.- Chapter 8.- Turbulence as a challenge for the historian.

Editorial Reviews

This is a third level on which one can enjoy Eckert’s short monograph and the on which I recommend it to the reader’s attention.” (Scott Guthery, MAA Reviews, January 4, 2020)

From the Publisher