Experimental Methods

Abstract

We do not have space for a full description of all the experimental techniques used in obtaining the results discussed in this book. This chapter can give only a general survey, intended to place the various methods in some perspective. The techniques appropriate to different branches of fluid mechanics - and to different experiments within one branch — are diverse, and decisions about those to be used in a particular project require detailed consideration of the successes and failures of those used in previous related projects. One must add to this that the limitations to an experiment often lie in the performance of transducers, and the experimentalist should always be on the alert for new possibilities.