Individual course details
Study programme Meteorology
Chosen research area (module)  
Nature and level of studies Bachelor academic studies
Name of the course Continuum Physics
Professor (lectures) Suncica Elezovic-Hadzic
Professor/associate (examples/practical) Dusko Latas
Professor/associate (additional)  
ECTS 7 Status (required/elective) required
Access requirements Mathematics 1B and 2B, Mechanics
Aims of the course Introduction to the theoretical methods used to model physical phenomena in continuous matter, in particular in fluids.
Learning outcomes Students should acquire the fundamental concepts and formalisms used in theoretical analysis of the physical phenomena in continuous matter. They should understand fundamental mechanical and thermodynamical laws in fluids, be able to mathematically formulate them, using vector and tensor calculus, as well as solve and explain physical outcomes of the simple cases of basic differential equations occuring in physics of fluids. 
Contents of the course
Lectures Continuum concept. Local values of the physical quantities. Eulerian and Lagrangian description of motion. Material derivative. Streamlines. Continuity equation. Stream function. Basic examples of the velocity field. Strain rate tensor and vorticity vector. Stream and vortex tubes. Circulation. Body and surface forces. Stress vector and stress tensor. Hydrostatics. Fundamental equation of continuous matter motion. Viscous fluids. Constitutive equation for Navier-Stokes fluid. Navier-Stokes equation. Ideal fluid. Euler equation. Bernoulli's theorem. Potential flow. Complex potential. Cauchy-Lagrange integral. Helmholtz equation. Kelvin's circulation theorem. Dimensional analysis.Vortex diffusion. Boundary layer. One-dimensional small-amplitude waves in ideal barotropic fluid. Small-amplitude gravity waves in ideal incompressible fluid. Body and surface forces work in continuous matter. First law of thermodynamics in continuous matter. Internal energy equation for ideal and Stokes fluids. Barometric formula. Adiabatic ideal fluid. Nondimensional Stokes equation. Reynolds number. Turbulent flow.
Examples/ practical classes Examples are given during the lectures and problems are solved during practical classes.
Recommended books
1 Љ. Ристовски,  Физика континуума - флуиди, ПМФ Универзитета у Београду и Југословенски завод за продуктивност рада, 1986.
2 С. Елезовић-Хаџић, Физика континуума кроз примере, рецензирани рукопис, Физички факултет, Београд, 2001.
3 С. Стојановић, Механика флуида, Универзитет у Новом Саду - Природно-математички факултет, 2002.
4 S. Elezović-Hadžić, Physics of continuous matter - Lecture notes with solved problems (ebook in Serbian)
Number of classes (weekly)
Lectures Examples&practicals   Student project Additional
4 3      
Teaching and learning methods Lectures, practical classes, homeworks, consultations
Assessment (maximal 100)
assesed coursework mark examination mark
coursework 5 written examination 12
practicals 15 oral examination 45
papers 23