Aerodynamic Theory of To‐day

Abstract

THE science of aerodynamics has made rapid progress during the last ten or twenty years, and the rate of advance shows little sign of abating. Text books, however, are as yet few in number, and these two books, though differing widely in character, are both welcome additions to our literature. Prof. Pistolesi's “Aerodinamica” is a comprehensive account of the present state of aerodynamic theory, which will be of great value to advanced students of the subject and, more generally, as a standard book of reference. It includes full accounts of the modern aerodynamic theories of wings and airscrews and of the progress in the analyses of the motion of viscous and compressible fluids, together with detailed references to original papers on these subjects. Prof. Reid's aim is more modest in scope, but no easier of execution. He has endeavoured to provide an account of modern wing theory suitable for engineering students and aeroplane designers of limited mathematical knowledge, and he has fulfilled his object by combining a detailed development of the more elementary parts of the subject with a descriptive and critical account of the more complex parts.