Gib, you gave me a little tingle of excitement there, talking dirty: <The detail of flow in pipe networks is extremely complex, largely because of turbulent effects, and the full 3D computational fluid dynamics approach can barely model a single pipe bend accurately. But we have semi-empirical 1D flow models than can predict flows and pressures in large-scale networks very reliably. Crude but effective, or, if you like, wrong but useful.>
In a previous life, long, long ago, when my circular slide rule was state of the art and I dare say you also were punching Braille holes in cardboard cards in Fortran IV, [computers were blind then and had to read by touch], I was learning about said fluid flows from Prof. Raudkivi and co. My Airy Wave Theory rant saved my bacon in Fluid Mechanics IIIa [or maybe it was b, or c]. Ah, the good old days.
My afterlife was spent in lubricant flow with elastohydrodynamic levitation of sulphur-powered turbines in fertilize plants [and a lot more besides of such interesting things].
There's something fascinating about flows in complex interactive systems and climate is a biggie. But not as biggie as when people start dabbling in flows too, such as USD flows in financial markets. The laws of physics defining human behaviour are more complex than the atmosphere. I wonder how good are the econometric models Uncle Al KBE uses. Jay and co think he has it wrong and we are doomed to a runaway greenhouse effect in the financial markets, maybe starting tomorrow [or even today] with general meltdown and only gold remaining [together with clever surviving Aztecs chanting tribal incantations around their golden totem].
My favourite flow, still under construction, is my brand new Q cybercurrency. Message 21126526 Now THAT's going to involve some seriously enormous flows. Some mathematical modelling of the flows is probably a very good idea. So far, my mathematical models are equivalent to putting my hand out the window to see if it's raining and thereby concluding what the climate will do 100 years from now. But it's a start.
Mqurice |
