How has Human Civilization Advanced Because of our Knowledge of Fluid Mechanics - Essay Example

s a diverse field in physics that have several branches such as fluid dynamics that studies effects of forces on fluid motion, fluid statics that studies fluids at rest, and fluid kinematics that studies fluids in motion. Fluid mechanics works hand in hand with hydraulics and has existed for a long time. Engineers also use fluid mechanics in aerodynamics when designing planes, ships, trains, and cars, designing mechanical systems such as engines and machines and town planning (Braben 45). Fluid mechanics has solved many problems since the ancient civilization to the modern world.

In fluid mechanics, Civil engineers try to solve problems in floods by constructing better bridges and roads; they solve drainage problems by designing proper sewage systems, and design underground aquifers that supply water. The existence of fluid mechanics has contributed largely in the advancement of human civilization by affecting many areas. In the ancient civilization, many countries such as Egypt, India, China, and the Mayan people in South America used fluid mechanics in the construction of many structures.

In the present day, application of fluid mechanics is seen in the construction of water reservoirs such as dams, wells, and boreholes. These serve humans in storage of water required for irrigation and drinking. Wells have existed since the ancient civilization, and they are actually used in the analysis of fluid mechanics. Other constructions include dams and boreholes (Braben 52). In the ancient civilization, human beings used pumps that dug shallow wells and boreholes. There was no technology to help dig deeper ones, and the pumps were manual and driven by hand.

This caused contamination of water most of the times and people died of water borne diseases. In the present day, engineers use electrical and automated machines to drill deep wells and boreholes of up to 100 to 400 feet and this has helped a lot in solving such a problem. Unlike in the past where people went to