= Computational fluid dynamics
<Computational fluid dynamics> uses numerical methods to solve models of <fluid flow>. A calculation specifies governing balance laws, <constitutive equations>, initial data and <boundary conditions>, then represents the fields on a finite set of degrees of freedom. The computed <velocity>, <pressure> and other fields approximate the selected model rather than directly reproducing every molecular interaction.
A useful pipe-flow calculation checks the incoming and outgoing <mass flow rates>, compares the pressure drop with an appropriate analytic regime and refines the spatial and time resolution. Small changes under refinement test numerical resolution; agreement with an independent experiment tests physical modeling. These checks answer different questions. Approximations for <turbulence>, geometry and wall behavior can dominate the uncertainty even when the discretized equations are solved accurately. In reconstructing flow around a <fossil>, uncertain anatomy and imposed flow conditions remain part of the scientific interpretation.
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