Abstract
PROF. VILLAT's treatment of vortex motion has both the virtues and defects which are usually found in French treatises on mathematical physics. The mathematical treatment is clear and logical, and presented in an attractive style. On the other hand, although the lectures on which the book is based were delivered at an institute founded by the Ministry of Air, we have scarcely any reference to experimental data. There is one oasis in the desert of mathematical symbols (p. 80), where we read that a cylinder moving in liquid is really found, in certain circumstances, to set up two series of vortices closely conforming to those calculated by Bénard. With this exception, the book suggests that the author cares much for mathematical analysis and little, if at all, for real fluids. However, if we accept his point of view, there can be no question as to the quality of the work. After an exposition of the classical results, we have a good account of more recent work, in particular that of Bénard, Synge, Rosenhead, Caldonazzo, Riabouchinsky, and Lichtenstein. The last chapter uses Oseen's integral equation to discuss vortices in a viscous fluid.
Lecons sur la théorie des tourbillons.
By Par Prof. Henri Villat. (Institut de mécanique des fluides del'Université de France.) Pp. v + 300. (Paris: Gauthier-Villars et Cie, 1930.) 65 francs.
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P., H. Lecons sur la théorie des tourbillons . Nature 125, 969 (1930). https://doi.org/10.1038/125969b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/125969b0