Fundamental Fluid

Drew, an oceanography graduate student, writes: "This, on my leg, is the incompressible form of the conservation of mass equation in a fluid, also known as the continuity equation. When people ask what it means, I say it defines flow.  Sometimes I say it means you should have studied more physics, but that is only when I am feeling like being funny.  What it means in more detail is that, for an incompressible fluid, the partial derivative of the velocity of the fluid in the three spatial dimensions must sum to zero.  It therefore concisely states the fundamental nature of a fluid.

"My advisor took this picture, and I swear he is obsessed (in a good way) with this tattoo.  He is giving a talk at Woods Hole next week as he is the recipient of an award, and he is planning to show off 'how quantitative scripps students are' which i think is hilarious and only slightly mortifying.  Speaking of mortifying, it is slightly mortifying to be sending this email at all--I have to admit I am a little embarrassed.  It is definitely the most vain thing i have done today.  I do have an ulterior motive which I have no problem admitting: I want to stake a claim on this particular piece.  I guess it might be a little lame to want to claim ownership over something so silly but there it is and I guess at least I can admit it."

Comments

[Susan]

I might be in love with Drew....*swoon*