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Turbulence—an Odyssey

Origins and Evolution of a Research Field at the Interface of Science and Engineering

Authors:

  • Examines the evolution and history of turbulence as a transdisciplinary research field
  • Traces the emergence of a diversity of relevant research questions
  • Describes the birth and development of a new scientific community

Part of the book series: History of Physics (HIPHY)

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Table of contents (14 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvi
  2. Roots

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. Pipe Flow

      • Michael Eckert
      Pages 3-24
    3. Channel Flow

      • Michael Eckert
      Pages 25-35
    4. Drag

      • Michael Eckert
      Pages 37-53
    5. Wind and Weather

      • Michael Eckert
      Pages 55-69
  3. Concepts

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 71-71
    2. The Boundary Layer Concept

      • Michael Eckert
      Pages 73-88
    3. The Mixing Length

      • Michael Eckert
      Pages 89-98
    4. The Statistical Theory of Turbulence

      • Michael Eckert
      Pages 99-114
    5. The Onset of Turbulence

      • Michael Eckert
      Pages 115-127
  4. Staging Turbulence

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 129-129
    2. The Rise of Applied Mechanics

      • Michael Eckert
      Pages 131-137
    3. Turbulence in WW II

      • Michael Eckert
      Pages 139-146
    4. Postwar Revelation and Reorganization

      • Michael Eckert
      Pages 147-157
    5. Turbulence in the 1950s

      • Michael Eckert
      Pages 159-168
    6. Marseille ’61

      • Michael Eckert
      Pages 169-184
    7. Epilog

      • Michael Eckert
      Pages 185-188
  5. Back Matter

    Pages 189-208

About this book

Turbulence is a research field where high expectations have met with recurrent frustration. It is a common perception among physicists, mathematicians and engineers that there is a "big mystery" behind the phenomenon of turbulence. Its history has also remained anything but well researched. Unlike topics such as quantum theory, which began to attract physics historians as long as fifty years ago, turbulence has - until now - received only little professional historical investigation.

In this book, which complements his earlier SpringerBrief "The Turbulence Problem", the author sketches the history of turbulence from the vantage point of its roots (Part I), the basic concepts (Part II) and the formation of a scientific community that regarded turbulence as a research field in its own right (Part III). From this perspective turbulence research appears to undertake an odyssey through uncharted territories. The book follows this development up until a conference in Marseille in theyear 1961, which marked the inauguration of turbulence in the words of its organizer as “a new science”. The epilogue contains some observations about turbulence research since 1961. This book provides a rich source of information for all those interested in the history of this major field of basic and applied science.

Reviews

“This volume represents an exhaustive study of turbulence in its historical and conceptual underpinnings. Its roots have grown since the early modern era in a cluster of fields, from hydraulics to meteorology. … The reader is guided throughout the history of turbulence in an effective way. The bibliography is rich, and all materials are discussed in an extensive manner. Certainly, this is an important contribution in the history of science, mathematics and engineering.” (Silvia De Bianchi, Mathematical Reviews, January, 2023)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Forschungsinstitut, Deutsches Museum, Munich, Germany

    Michael Eckert

About the author

Michael Eckert, born 1949, studied physics at the Technical University in Munich with a diploma in 1976. He received a doctorate in theoretical physics at the University in Bayreuth in 1979. From 1989-1995 he was editor for physics, mathematics and informatics at the Bayerischer Schulbuchverlag. Most of his career, however, was spent at the Research Institute of the Deutsches Museum as a historian of physics. Since his retirement in 2014, he has remained associated with this institute as Senior Researcher.

Eckert's major research projects covered the history of solid state physics, an edition of the scientific correspondence of Arnold Sommerfeld, the history of fluid dynamics, and biographies of Arnold Sommerfeld and Ludwig Prandtl. He has published several books in German and English.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access