Inviscid Fluid Flows

Applied Mathematics is the art of constructing mathematical models of observed phenomena so that both qualitative and quantitative results can be predicted by the use of analytical and numerical methods. Theoretical Mechanics is concerned with the study of those phenomena which can be ob­ served in everyday life in the physical world around us. It is often characterised by the macroscopic approach which allows the concept of an element or particle of material, small compared to the dimensions of the phenomena being modelled, yet large compared to the molecular size of the material. Then atomic and molecular phenomena appear only as quantities averaged over many molecules. It is therefore natural that the mathemati­ cal models derived are in terms of functions which are continuous and well behaved, and that the analytical and numerical methods required for their development are strongly dependent on the theory of partial and ordinary differential equations. Much pure research in Mathematics has been stimu­ lated by the need to develop models of real situations, and experimental observations have often led to important conjectures and theorems in Analysis. It is therefore important to present a careful account of both the physical or experimental observations and the mathematical analysis used. The authors believe that Fluid Mechanics offers a rich field for il­ lustrating the art of mathematical modelling, the power of mathematical analysis and the stimulus of applications to readily observed phenomena.