Fluid flow turbulence is a phenomenon of great importance in many fields of engineering and science.

International Series of Monographs in Natural Philosophy, Volume 32: Random Functions and Turbulence focuses on the use of random functions as mathematical methods. The manuscript first offers information on the elements of the theory of random functions. Topics include determination of statistical moments by characteristic functions; functional transformations of random variables; multidimensional random variables with spherical symmetry; and random variables and distribution functions. The book then discusses random processes and random fields, including stationarity and ergodicity of random processes; influence of finiteness of the interval of averaging; scalar and vector random fields; and statistical moments. The text takes a look at the statistical theory of turbulence. Topics include turbulence with very large Reynolds numbers; emergence of turbulent motion; and energy spectrum in isothermal turbulent shear flow. The book also discusses small-scale and large-scale atmospheric turbulence and applications to numerical weather analysis and prediction. The manuscript is a vital source of data for readers interested in random theory.

"If ever a field needed a definitive book, it is the study of turbulence; if ever a book on turbulence could be called definitive, it is this book." — Science Written by two of Russia's most eminent and productive scientists in turbulence, oceanography, and atmospheric physics, this two-volume survey is renowned for its clarity as well as its comprehensive treatment. The first volume begins with an outline of laminar and turbulent flow. The remainder of the book treats a variety of aspects of turbulence: its statistical and Lagrangian descriptions, shear flows near surfaces and free turbulence, the behavior of thermally stratified media, and diffusion. Volume Two continues and concludes the presentation. Topics include spectral functions, homogeneous fields, isotropic random fields, isotropic turbulence, self-preservation hypotheses, spectral energy transfer, the Millionshchikov hypothesis, acceleration fields, equations for higher moments and the closure problem, and turbulence in a compressible fluid. Additional subjects include general concepts of the local structure of turbulence at high Reynolds numbers, the theory of fully developed turbulence, the propagation of electromagnetic and acoustic waves through a turbulent medium, and the twinkling of stars. The book closes with a discussion of the functional formulation of the problem of turbulence, presenting the equations for the characteristic functional and methods for their solution.

Turbulence is a dangerous topic which is often at the origin of serious fights in the scientific meetings devoted to it since it represents extremely different points of view, all of which have in common their complexity, as well as an inability to solve the problem. It is even difficult to agree on what exactly is the problem to be solved. Extremely schematically, two opposing points of view have been advocated during these last ten years: the first one is "statistical", and tries to model the evolution of averaged quantities of the flow. This com has followed the glorious trail of Taylor and Kolmogorov, munity, which believes in the phenomenology of cascades, and strongly disputes the possibility of any coherence or order associated to turbulence. On the other bank of the river stands the "coherence among chaos" community, which considers turbulence from a purely deterministic po int of view, by studying either the behaviour of dynamical systems, or the stability of flows in various situations. To this community are also associated the experimentalists who seek to identify coherent structures in shear flows.

"If ever a book on turbulence could be called definitive," declared Science, "it is this book by two of Russia's most eminent and productive scientists in turbulence, oceanography, and atmospheric physics." Noted for its clarity as well as its comprehensive treatment, this two-volume set serves as text or reference. 1975 edition.

This accessible treatment offers the mathematical tools for describing and solving problems related to stochastic vector fields. Advanced undergraduates and graduate students will find its use of generalized functions a relatively simple method of resolving mathematical questions. It will prove a valuable reference for applied mathematicians and professionals in the fields of aerospace, chemical, civil, and nuclear engineering. The author, Professor Emeritus of Engineering at Cornell University, starts with a survey of probability distributions and densities and proceeds to examinations of moments, characteristic functions, and the Gaussian distribution; random functions; and random processes in more dimensions. Extensive appendixes—which include information on Fourier transforms, tensors, generalized functions, and invariant theory—contribute toward making this volume mathematically self-contained.

This is a graduate text on turbulent flows, an important topic in fluid dynamics. It is up-to-date, comprehensive, designed for teaching, and is based on a course taught by the author at Cornell University for a number of years. The book consists of two parts followed by a number of appendices. Part I provides a general introduction to turbulent flows, how they behave, how they can be described quantitatively, and the fundamental physical processes involved. Part II is concerned with different approaches for modelling or simulating turbulent flows. The necessary mathematical techniques are presented in the appendices. This book is primarily intended as a graduate level text in turbulent flows for engineering students, but it may also be valuable to students in applied mathematics, physics, oceanography and atmospheric sciences, as well as researchers and practising engineers.