Daniel Bernoulli Establishes the Field of Hydrodynamics | Research & Encyclopedia Articles

Daniel Bernoulli Establishes the Field of Hydrodynamics

Overview

Swiss mathematician and physicist Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782) brought a high level of mathematical rigor to the study of natural phenomena, particularly phenomena associated with liquids and gases. He was especially fascinated with the behavior of fluids. Having been trained as a physician, Bernoulli combined his medical knowledge with his mathematical and analytical skills to study the speed with which a liquid flows through an enclosed space such as a blood vessel. Bernoulli's observations resulted in the first effective method of measuring blood pressure but, more importantly, put Bernoulli on the path that would lead to his derivation of the fluid equation. That equation showed that a fluid's pressure is determined by its velocity, the pressure decreasing as the velocity increases. Bernoulli's formulation related pressure to the law of conservation of energy, placing the behavior of fluids (and by extension gases) squarely within the realm of mathematical and mechanical physics. Bernoulli's insight would affect all studies of fluids and gases for centuries, guiding studies of the behavior of water under pressure, the hull designs of ships, problems of turbulence in turbines, and explaining, for example, the behavior of air traveling over and beneath an airplane's wing.

Daniel Bernoulli Establishes the Field of Hydrodynamics article

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