= Fluid dynamicist
A <fluid dynamicist> studies how <fluids> move and how their motion exchanges <mass>, <momentum> and <energy>. The work can combine mathematical models, controlled measurements and computation. Choosing what to resolve, what to approximate and which observations test the result is as central as solving an equation. A <fluid dynamicist> may work on applications ranging from aerodynamic <drag force> to transport in a <blood>.
For an original example, consider steady water flow through a duct with negligible density changes. <Mass conservation> gives $\rho A_1U_1=\rho A_2U_2$, with $U$ the cross-sectionally averaged speed.<Mass Flow Rate by NASA Glenn Research Center>[Density-area-velocity derivation and continuity]{ref} If a circular duct doubles its radius while maintaining the same volume flow rate, its area becomes four times larger and its mean speed falls to one quarter. A researcher can compare that prediction with measured flow and velocity. Predicting the required pressure difference is another question, requiring information about losses and the <velocity field>.
In <turbulence> research, <direct numerical simulation> and <large eddy simulation> resolve different ranges of motion. A useful validation compares the same observable and averaging convention rather than simply comparing two pictures of complicated flow. <Parviz Moin>'s institutional research profile describes this combination of computational methods with questions about turbulent-flow physics.<Parviz Moin research profile by Stanford University>[Bio: direct and large-eddy simulation and turbulent shear flows]{ref}
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