ABSTRACT
Many important physical processes in nature are governed by partial differential equations (PDEs). For this reason, it is important to understand the physical behavior of the model represented by the PDE. In addition, knowledge of the mathematical character, properties, and solution of the governing equations is required. In this chapter, we will discuss the physical signiƒcance and the mathematical behavior of the most common types of PDEs encountered in §uid mechanics and heat transfer. Examples are included to illustrate important properties of the solutions of these equations. In the last sections we extend our discussion to systems of PDEs and present a number of model equations, many of which are used in Chapter 4 to demonstrate the application of various discretization methods.
