3rd and 4th year projects (2007/2008):

I am not taking on any more project students for the coming 2007/2008 academic year

Power from the waves

It is estimated that the energy in the waves approaching the shoreline of the UK is enough to meet all the UK's current energy demand. Given the recent government targets on renewable energy, it is remarkable that this energy is not being harnessed. Whilst they are not well known to the general public, there are a number of wave energy devices that have been invented over the past 40 years. The mathematical theory of wave power was developed in the early years of interest in wave energy and that has led to improved device modelling. The project would survey the area of wave energy or look in detail at modelling a particular device. The Fluids 3 course would be useful.

Crumpled sheets

Crumple a sheet of paper in your hand and you will end up with a ragged little ball that no matter how hard you try to squash it further, you just cannot squeeze any more. Why is this ? The answer lies in the energy that is stored in vertices and ridges that form when the sheet is crumpled. A project will look into this any other aspects of folds in paper.

Ground effect aerodynamics of race cars

In this project the focus will be to review and discuss the the use of aerodynamic effects in the design of motor racing cars and aircraft. In particular, the phenomena of ground effect (or Wing-In-Ground effect) aerodynamics which are used for the design of wing sections of racing cars and certain low-flying military aircraft can be examined. This project could be studied in conjunction with taking the Fluids 3 course.

Traffic flow modelling

In 1959, Sir James Lighthill and Jerry Whitham first derived a continuum model to describe the flow of traffic on a road. It was able to capture basic phemonena such as the formation of shock waves. Since then many more sophisticated models have been developed. A project on this subject could aim to survey these models.

A history of mathematical astronomy

The subject of astronomy has, for 4000 years, been a principal driving force for the development of new mathematical tools, from geometry to algebra to calculus to relativity. This project would discuss historical aspects of this mathematical development.

Tsunami's

The Indonesian Tsunami of Christmas 2004 has made everyone acutely aware of the devastation and destruction that water waves can have on human lives. This project will investigate the features of Tsunami's that can be modelled using mathematics, including the generation of earthquakes and the propagation of water waves. For example, mathematics can be used to predict that water moves away from the shoreline just before a Tsunami arrives.

Animal locomotion

How do small insects walk on water ? How does a fish propell itself through water ? How does a hummingbord hover ? All of these are features of animal locomotion and can often be described with some relatively basic fluid dynamics.

Seismology

Seismology is concerned with the modelling of earthquakes. Earthquakes are no more than compression waves which propagate through the surface of the earths crust, in much the same way as sound is manifested by compression waves in air. The project will look at the mathematical features of these waves and of earthquakes in general.