An Introduction to Theoretical and Computational Aerodynamics

Rating:
Summary: A very well-written introduction
Review: Jack Moran's book is an excellent introduction to the field of aerodynamics. It is written in an appealing lecture-like style which involves the reader. The explanations are clear. Moran has the ability to explain difficult concepts in an easy to understand way that enhances the reader's understanding of the underlying physics.

The book covers a variety of topics, ranging from potential flows to supersonic flows and turbulence. The physical and mathematical modelling are clearly presented. Numerical modelling is discussed in great detail for potential flow codes (VLM, panel methods) and Navier-Stokes (finite differences). Example programs are given in the book that can be used in computer labs (although they will likely have to be rewritten in a modern language as Moran uses old style Fortran).

Rating:
Summary: Very Good Introductory Book
Review: This is one of the most easy and complete introductory-level books on aerodynamics. It covers all you need, not at a great detail like ,say, kuethe does in his book, but it is a very interesting book since it contains even FORTRAN77 codes. Actually, F77 is a pretty old language, but all the codes contained in this book are easy, so that you can easily translate them in your favorite programming language. The book contains the fundamental aspects of fluid dynamics, inviscid flows, doublets, etc. An extensive overview of the panel method is given, togetherg with other computational means for analyzing inviscid flows. Finite Difference methods and Boundary layers are treated as well, both from a theoretical and computational point of view.
I would definitely recommend it.