Course 11 | Core
Fluid Mechanics
Analyze pressure, flow, momentum, pipes, external flow, dimensional analysis, and turbomachinery.
Course snapshot
- Purpose
- Fluid Mechanics gives the control-volume and flow reasoning needed before heat transfer, CFD, propulsion, and energy systems.
- Next in the guided sequence
- Used in Career Directions
How to study this course
- Define the control volume
- Identify assumptions
- Apply conservation of mass, momentum, or energy
- Estimate losses or forces
- Check Reynolds number or flow regime where relevant
How this course is designed
Original course map
This course uses an original MechCompass module order using prerequisite logic, standard engineering practice, and evidence tasks. Suggested references are optional and listed separately.
Three conservation laws
Almost everything comes from conserving mass, momentum, and energy on a chosen control volume. Each module is one of those laws applied to a new situation, from a static tank to a spinning pump.
Models before formulas
The habit is to draw the control volume and name the assumptions (steady, incompressible, frictionless) before reaching for Bernoulli or the friction factor. Numbers follow a clear picture.
The 10 modules
01 | Module
Introduction and Basic Concepts
The continuum, no-slip, classifying flows, units, and the Reynolds number.
02 | Module
Properties of Fluids
Density, viscosity, vapor pressure and cavitation, and surface tension.
03 | Module
Pressure and Fluid Statics
Manometry, hydrostatic force on a surface, and buoyancy.
04 | Module
Fluid Kinematics
The velocity field, material acceleration, streamlines, and vorticity.
05 | Module
The Bernoulli and Energy Equations
Bernoulli along a streamline and the energy equation with pump and turbine head.
06 | Module
Momentum Analysis of Flow Systems
The control-volume momentum equation and forces on bends and vanes.
07 | Module
Dimensional Analysis and Modeling
The Buckingham Pi theorem, dimensionless groups, and model similitude.
08 | Module
Internal (Pipe) Flow
Laminar and turbulent flow, the friction factor, the Moody chart, and head loss.
09 | Module
External Flow: Drag and Lift
Drag and lift coefficients, the boundary layer, and terminal velocity.
10 | Module
Turbomachinery: Pumps and Turbines
Pump head and power, efficiency, and the affinity laws.