mechanical

I learned fluid mechanics from this book in college, tutored undergraduates with the help of this book in grad school, and used it as a reference for my advanced fluids class. In all cases, it was clearer and more understandable than other references I was recommended. I'm not saying this book is perfect - the description of the Navier Stokes equations, a fundamental concept in fluid mechanics, skips too many mathematical steps, as White is prone to do - but overall, if you are strong enough in math, this is a very good reference/first time book for fluid mehanics. White also has a good more advanced text on viscous fluid flow. If you are learning fluid mechanics for the first time, I would also recommend a Schaum's outline to supplement your textbook.

As a student of Aerospace Engineering, fluid mechanics is A-B-C. This is certainly the most useful book I have EVER used on the subject - It is easy to understand, user-friendly, and truly a treasure- cache for all engineers, as it covers every aspect of F. Mech. one could think up.

Please do yourself a favor and avoid this book. This is the fourth edition and perhaps the worst introduction to fluid mechanics book ever printed. I am a PhD student and have had many courses in fluids. This book is riddled with errors and mistakes. The theory is correct but the derivations of certain equations and the solutions to many, many, many problems are wrong! I cannot believe these errors have survived to the 4th edition. Another reason to avoid this book is because the solutions provided with instructors make great leaps in solving problems. Many of the solutions state "this problem requires a laborious derivation and is much too hard to solve" or something to that effect! I also assist in teaching many intro fluids classes and this makes life miserable. Please use the 5th edition (or any other fluids book for that matter.)