Matrix methods and teaching the fundamentals of fluid and gas mechanics in higher education institutions
Authors: Belovol Oleksandr 
Published: July 2024

Problem. The instruction of physical and mathematical disciplines in higher education institutions employing cutting-edge methods and universal approaches, which seamlessly integrate scientific and engineering activities of future specialists, remains one of the pertinent and priority tasks. The utilization of multidimensional or even infinite-dimensional spaces has become an effective and nearly indispensable tool in mathematical modeling of physical phenomena. This circumstance is directly linked to the increasing level of abstraction and the refinement of mathematical methods. The use of geometric methods inherent in vector algebra and vector analysis as the foundation for studying mechanics, despite their illustrative nature, is losing its relevance. Methods built upon matrix formalism are evolving as substitutes. The matrix framework enables the exploitation of phase space advantages to derive canonical equations of motion for continuous media and electromagnetic field equations in covariant forms. The electromagnetic potential acquires mechanical significance, allowing the utilization of electromechanical analogies at a fundamental level rather than on a merely formal basis, as done in classical electrodynamics. Goal. The aim of this research is to study and justify the advantages of matrix methods for deriving equations of motion for fluids and gases from the canonical equations of mechanics by utilizing a continuum model in phase and physical space. The research is directed towards demonstrating the connection between the internal microscopic and macroscopic motion of fluids and gases, as well as highlighting the potential of matrix formalism both in terms of modeling and the utilization of computational tools. Methodology. The methodological basis for selecting matrix methods lies in the application of tensor analysis and its generalizations for modeling the motion of fluids and gases in physical and phase space. Results. It has been demonstrated that the matrix method, previously applied to classical and relativistic mechanics, allows for the consideration of the molecular structure of the environment by folding the multidimensional phase space of the mechanical system, represented by a particle of the medium, and thereby deriving equations of motion for fluids and gases from the canonical equations of classical mechanics and the equations of momentum balance of the medium. Originality. The combination of canonical equations as a result of applying the conservation law of matter in the form of balance equations in phase space and momentum balance equations in physical space allows for elucidating the relationship between macroscopic and microscopic motions of the medium, as well as the mathematical structure of the equations of motion for fluids and gases. Practical value. The proposed method allows, while remaining within the standard mathematical training offered by technical educational institutions, to effectively formalize the equations of motion for fluids and gases and provide them with an invariant form. By guiding oneself through invariance, both fundamental laws (such as the law of universal gravitation) and partial laws (the generalized Newton's law) can be obtained.