ENME E3161: Fluid Mechanics

Course Overview

The course introduces you to the fundamental principles of fluid mechanics, providing a strong theoretical foundation that is directly applicable to solving real-world engineering problems. Centered around both fluid statics and dynamics, the course equips you with the conceptual and analytical tools necessary to understand and predict fluid behavior across a wide range of scenarios. Through lectures, problem-solving sessions, and guided exercises based on Frank M. White’s authoritative textbook, you’ll explore the governing equations of motion and develop an intuitive grasp of flow patterns, pressure distributions, and conservation laws.

One of the key goals of the course is to bridge theory and practice. You’ll learn how to apply conservation of mass, momentum, and energy to practical engineering systems, such as pipelines, open channels, or flow measurement devices. Topics such as hydrostatics, buoyancy, and dimensional analysis are introduced in a rigorous mathematical framework and reinforced with hands-on exercises that demonstrate their relevance in civil and environmental engineering design. Integral and differential formulations of the governing equations are used to deepen your understanding of the underlying physics and their implications in real systems.

In the second half of the course, the focus shifts to internal viscous flows, where you’ll engage with concepts such as Reynolds number regimes, head losses, and turbulent pipe flow. Here, the material becomes closely aligned with real engineering challenges, particularly in infrastructure planning, water resource management, and energy systems. Although the course does not emphasize computational tools, it lays the groundwork necessary for you to succeed in future courses involving computational fluid dynamics (CFD), environmental modeling, or sensor network design—areas of increasing importance in both industry and research.

Beyond technical fluency, the course fosters problem-solving, critical thinking, and modeling skills that are vital in modern engineering practice. By engaging with case studies and illustrative examples from leading academics, including Professor Marc Calaf (University of Utah) and Professor Haim Waisman (Columbia), you’ll be exposed to diverse pedagogical approaches and applications.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to analyze complex fluid phenomena and contribute to the development of resilient and sustainable systems, aligning your technical training with broader societal and environmental challenges.

Course Instructor

Marco Giometto

Assistant Professor

Marco Giometto is an Assistant Professor in the Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics department at Columbia University and an Amazon Visiting Academic. He studies both fundamental and applied problems related to fluid dynamics and turbulence, with an emphasis on atmospheric boundary layer processes. He received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and held postdoctoral positions at the University of British Columbia and at the Center for Turbulence Research at Stanford University.