# [SCI] Aerodynamics
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**Aerodynamics** is the study of air in motion and the forces it exerts on bodies, founded by Prandtl and Kutta–Joukowski around 1900–1910.
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## Overview
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Ludwig Prandtl (1904) introduced boundary layer theory — the thin region near a surface where viscosity matters — resolving the D'Alembert paradox and providing the first accurate predictions of drag and lift. The Kutta–Joukowski theorem relates lift to circulation. Prandtl's lifting-line theory enabled systematic wing design. These results, together with Navier–Stokes equations, provided the scientific foundation for heavier-than-air flight.
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The field matured through wind tunnel experiments, computational fluid dynamics, and eventually transonic and supersonic theory (von Kármán, Busemann, Whitcomb). Modern aircraft design is impossible without aerodynamic theory.
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## Key Figures & Recognition
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- **Ludwig Prandtl** (1875–1953): Boundary layer theory, wing theory. No Nobel.
- **Nikolai Joukowski** (1847–1921): Lift theorem.
- **Theodore von Kármán** (1881–1963): Supersonic aerodynamics, turbulence.
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## Seminal Papers
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- Prandtl, L. "Über Flüssigkeitsbewegung bei sehr kleiner Reibung." *Proceedings, 3rd Int. Math. Congress* (1904).
- Kutta, W.M. "Auftriebskräfte in strömenden Flüssigkeiten." *Illustrierte Aeronautische Mitteilungen* (1902).
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# Parents
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* [SCI] Hydrodynamics⏎