Life in Moving Fluids: The Physical Biology of Flow

This is really an excellent book for understanding basic fluid mechanics and physics. Profesor Vogel is a gifted writer and provides a real understanding of the various parameters and equations in fluid flow such as viscosity and turbulance. He writes in a very readable and fun style that makes it much more interesting to read then any standard textbook. And of course his insights into how animals and insects have evolved to take advantage of various fluid environment is the strength of the book. I think if this this book was used in more introductory physics classes that more kids would be turned on to physics because they see the application in the natural world. I highly recommended.

This is a great book to start with when getting in to the field of bio-fluid dynamics. Not only does it explain the basic concepts of fluid dynamics, but it also illustrates a large number of cases where the life different plants and animals are affected by the fluids of their environment and their interior.

"Life in Moving Fluids" is a well-written and entertaining, as well as technically accurate, introduction to the behavior of fluids. It explains many of the concepts of fluid dynamics in terms of biological examples, and is my first choice of book to recommend to biologists who want to understand the design and behavior of a wide range of plants and animals that live, as most do, in moving air or water -- our two most common fluids.That would be quite enough distinction for a book, but the utility of Vogel's book goes farther: it is one of the best introductions to the subject of fluid dynamics for those interested in physics, such as the nature of lift and drag, or the design of buildings or wind tunnels (sometimes the same thing). It also is helpful in physical chemistry where diffusion and convection must be understood -- to say nothing of how fluids move through the pipes and junctures of our equipment.I was inspired to write this review because I had just recommended the book to a colleague who was designing a wind tunnel to work at Reynolds numbers in the 10,000 range and whose previous sources were from aerodynamicists, whose designs are generally not appropriate at this scale. If you don't know what a Reynolds number is or why it is interesting, this book has the best explanation I've seen. It does not assume that you remember much, it teaches what you need as it goes along.Many are the times I've recommended "Life in Moving Fluids" to students and co-workers, and in each case, I have been warmly thanked. This review allows me to thank Dr. Vogel in a practical manner for his outstanding book. He also has a penchant for the occasional pun and keeps a light tone throughout, which makes the book suitable as pleasure reading for those who enjoy the popular science magazines, but don't mind a bit more depth.If you work in fields where fluid dynamics counts (see the section on prairie squirrels), or just fly model planes, the book is also a handy refresher/reference work. It'll blow you away.

This book is awesome! It is well written, and explains complex concepts in simple language. Steven Vogel is an excellent writer. This book got me through some of my graduate work!

Less technical than engineering texts, this gives a better introduction to fluid mechanics, by being less obsessed with mathematical analysis (and yet it doesn't skip the math). I would heartily recommend the book to life scientists interested in an engineering understanding, and engineers interested in expanding their awareness to biological systems.