The Simulation of Hydrodynamic Processes with Large Computers

Summary

An overview of various methods used by computational physicists to simulate hydrodynamic phenomena is presented. Emphasis has been placed on readability by the interested non-expert. Thus, the presentation is necessarily mathematically non-rigorous and incomplete in the sense that for no problem has an attempt been made to give all the equations required for its numerical solution. Four discretization methods are discussed in general terms: finite difference methods, finite element methods, spectral methods, and particle methods. A few astrophysical applications for each of these discretization procedures are discussed.