ASSIGNMENT 1

EQT 534 : FINITE DIFFERENCE METHOD FOR PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

NAME: NURUL IZHAM BIN M SHUKERI
MATRIC NO: 1632121977
LECTURER : DR. NURSALASAWATI RUSLI

QUESTION:
IN YOUR WORDS, WRITE THE DEFINITION OF

COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS (CFD)

PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION (PDE)

FINITE DIFFERENCE METHOD

DISCUSS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THESE THREE FIELDS

DEFINITION
Computational Fluid Dynamics known as CFD is the simulation of fluids
engineering systems using modelling. CFD provides prediction of fluid flows that cannot be
represent with real physical situation. By using numerical analysis and algorithms, it used
to solve and analyse problems involve fluid flow. There are widely used in aviation (body
air flow), temperature distributions (ventilation system), bio-medical engineering (study
circulatory and respiratory systems) and many more. The process of finding the solutions
are almost impossible with traditional ways with quantitative descriptions, which is
experiments. While CFD with quantitative prediction will be more effective to simulate the
patterns flow of the case in fluid flow.
Partial Differential Equations or PDEs is equations involving functions and their
partial derivatives. Engineer and scientists develop the system using PDEs as tools for
solving problems using the functions with several variables. This formalization become a
model with multidimensional system. Physical phenomenon will be formalised in terms of
PDEs and represent the phenomenon such as heat, sound, electrostatic, electrodynamics,
elasticity and fluid flow.
Finite Difference Method or FDM is the process of finding the solution of
differential equations with numerical schemes. In numerical methods, the solutions of
problem produce by approximations. FDM will be used to find the differential operator
where the derivatives in the equations will be replaced by differential quotients. The
domain separated and divided into certain space or time. Approximations process produce
an error. The error between the numerical solution and the exact solution is determined by
the error that is committed by going from a differential operator to a difference operator.
This error is called discretization. Finite part of a Taylor series is used in the approximation.
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RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CFD, PDEs AND FDM

Scientist and engineer facing several problems in their fluid engineering
explorations. The problems will be a physical properties to represent by mathematical
equations and sits called mathematical model. Navier Stoke Equation is the most popular
on paper solutions in fluid engineering. But with limitation of cost and time, also the
development of fluid engineering, certain cases cannot be solved by hand and paper.
Supercomputer nowadays give an opportunities to researcher finding solution by running
the software (i.e. Fotran and C language) to simulate the flow and situations.
The general process of CFD is replacing continuous problems domain (fluid flow)
with a discrete domain using grid. The problems will represent with mathematical models
and the common models integrated with partial differential equations. To solve the partial
differential equations that developed from continuous problems, numerical methods will act
as an appropriate method to discretize and define each flow variables. Finite Difference
Method is one of numerical method involve in approximating the situations. Software and
skills needed in these development to generate a virtual experiment (almost identical to
real situations). When the experiment run virtually (simulations), it will show the result and
flow graphically. This simulation will help researcher to find more knowledge and overcome
the same situation with different time and space. Since the process more into system, the
cost cheaper than make real models and of time efficiency.
The validations ensure the models are represent appropriately and can reduce the
error. Error reduction will give better approximations. Researcher make predictions by
referring the simulations as a hypothesis to another situations with same variables.
These proof that, CFD are related to PDEs and FDM to models the continuous
problems using mathematical equations, replacing in such PDE systems which can be
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solved using digital computers.

REFERENCES
Dmitri Kuzmin, Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics, http://www.mathematik.unidortmund.de/~kuzmin/cfdintro/lecture1.pdf
Professor D.M.Causon & Professor C.G.Mingham(2010),Introductory Finite Difference
Methods for PDEs, Mingham & Ventus Publishing ApS