Study Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics: 105 Flashcards from the Zeroth Law to the Reynolds Number

Deck IF3311 — Thermodynamics & Fluid Mechanics packs 105 cards into two clearly separate halves: cards 1-60 are a textbook thermodynamics unit (laws, processes, heat transfer, engines), and cards 61-105 are a fluid mechanics block cut from an encyclopedia overview. Treat them as two decks that share a vocabulary — pressure, energy, conservation — and you will learn both faster.

Cards worth seeing first

What the deck covers

Thermodynamics (1-60): temperature vs heat vs thermal energy, Celsius/Fahrenheit/Kelvin, absolute zero (−273.15 °C), the zeroth, first, second and third laws, entropy (S), isolated/closed/open systems, adiabatic, isothermal, isobaric and isochoric processes, specific heat capacity, conduction, convection, radiation, latent heat of fusion and vaporization, heat engines, thermal efficiency, the Carnot cycle, refrigerators, the ideal gas law PV = nRT (R ≈ 8.314 J/(mol·K)), reversible vs irreversible processes, state functions, thermal expansion.

Fluid mechanics (61-105): fluid statics vs fluid dynamics, the continuum assumption and Knudsen number, CFD, Navier-Stokes and Euler equations, viscosity (dynamic μ, kinematic ν), inviscid and superfluid flow, Newtonian vs non-Newtonian fluids (oobleck, paint), the no-slip condition, boundary layers (Prandtl, von Kármán), laminar vs turbulent flow, Pascal's law, Bernoulli's principle, continuity equation, compressible vs incompressible flow, aerodynamics vs hydrodynamics, control volumes, particle image velocimetry, mean free path.

Two fixes before you drill

1. Watch the sign of W. Card 11 uses the physics/engineering convention ΔU = Q − W, with W = work done by the system (card 14). Chemistry courses write ΔU = Q + W, with W done on the system. Both are correct; mixing them on an exam is not. Add a hint to card 11 naming the convention your course uses — and if you also study chemistry, compare with our Thermodynamics & Electrochemistry guide, which uses the other sign.
2. Tighten two backs. Card 15 says the entropy of an isolated system always increases: strictly, it never decreases (it stays constant in a reversible process, as card 49 itself says). Card 70 lists the continuum assumption next to conservation of mass, momentum and energy as a "law" — it is a modelling assumption, valid only when the Knudsen number (card 71) is small.

Write the missing formulas

The fluid half names equations without ever stating them. The continuity equation (card 93) deserves a second card: A₁v₁ = A₂v₂. Bernoulli (card 87) needs P + ½ρv² + ρgh = constant, and the Reynolds number (card 81) needs Re = ρvL/μ. On the thermodynamics side, add W = PΔV for an isobaric process and ΔS = Q/T for reversible heat flow. Five extra cards turn definitions you can recite into problems you can solve.

Study order: thermodynamics first (cards 1-60), then fluids, and review the pressure cards (47, 86, 96, 97) together — they are the bridge. For the mechanics underneath, pair this deck with Momentum, Rotation & Gravity.

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