Magnetohydrodynamics

Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) (magnetofluiddynamics or hydromagnetics), is the academic discipline which studies the dynamics of electrically conducting fluids. Examples of such fluids include plasmas, liquid metals, and salt water. The word magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) is derived from magneto- meaning magnetic field, and hydro- meaning fluid, and -dynamics meaning movement. The field of MHD was initiated by Hannes Alfvén, for which he received the Nobel Prize in 1970.

Related Topics:
Academic discipline - Dynamics - Electrically conducting - Fluid - Plasmas - Salt water - Magnetic field - Hannes Alfvén - Nobel Prize - 1970

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The set of equations which describe MHD are a combination of the Navier-Stokes equations of fluid dynamics and Maxwell's equations of electromagnetism. These differential equations have to be solved simultaneously. This is too complex or impossible to do symbolically in all but the most trivial cases. For real-world problems, numeric solutions are found using supercomputers. Because MHD is a fluid theory, it cannot treat kinetic phenomena, i.e., those in which the existence of discrete particles, or of a non-thermal distribution of their velocities, is important.

Related Topics:
Navier-Stokes equations - Fluid dynamics - Maxwell's equations - Electromagnetism - Differential equations - Simultaneously - Numeric solutions - Supercomputers

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