In our third and final review post for 2016, catch up on general fluid dynamics topics that will ensure your future is so bright you'll have to wear shades in 2017.

McLaren 2010 MP4-25: F-duct carLicense: CC BY 2.0, Andrew Griffith

Double Diffusers and F-Ducts Explained

If you followed Formula 1 in 2009 and 2010 you will probably recall the terms double diffuser and F-duct. However, unless you were in the aerodynamics department of an F1 team during that period you will probably only have a sketchy idea of how these devices actually produced the elusive, race-winning, downforce that is key to F1 success. Read more >>

Design Rules For Fluid Dynamics

There are basic design rules for fluid dynamics, which allow you to jumpstart your design without having to resort to fundamental experiments or analysis. What are these rules? Read more >>

Intuition and Fluid Dynamics

Some fluid dynamics is intuitive, e.g., the water flow along a pipe, where what goes in one end comes out the other. However, most applications no matter how simple are anything but intuitive, e.g., the drag of a ball moving through air. Read more >>

In Search of The Remaining 20 in The Pareto 80-20 Rule

Pareto analysis usually reveals a golden 80-20 rule for squeezing performance out of things. In other words - it means the majority of the performance (80%) is typically governed by a minority (20%) of factors. Pareto analysis applies equally across many disciplines from sports (marginal gains anyone?) to product design. Read more >>

How Aerodynamics Dominates The Tour de France

The spectacle that is the Tour de France (TdF) is all about aerodynamics - and you thought it was all about the bike. Virtually all tactics in the TdF are dictated by individuals or teams of riders attempting to limit their exposure to the 'wind', in order to minimize drag and therefore minimize the effort required to progress. There are some obvious and not so obvious tactics riders and teams employ to use aerodynamics to gain advantage. Read more >>