Nikolay Zhukovsky (scientist)

Nikolay Zhukovsky
Николай Жуковский
Born(1847-01-17)17 January 1847
Died17 March 1921(1921-03-17) (aged 74)
NationalityRussian
Alma materMoscow State University
Known forFluid Dynamics
Founder of Aerodynamics
AwardsOrder of Saint Anna
Order of Saint Stanislaus
Order of Saint Vladimir
Scientific career
FieldsMathematical Physics
InstitutionsImperial Moscow University
Bauman Moscow State Technical University
Moscow State University
Academic advisorsAugust Davidov
Notable studentsS. Chaplygin
L. I. Sedov
V. V. Shuleikin
Leonid Leibenson
Andrei Tupolev
Signature

Nikolay Yegorovich Zhukovsky[1] (Russian: Никола́й Его́рович Жуко́вский, IPA: [ʐʊˈkofskʲɪj]; 17 January [O.S. 5 January] 1847 – 17 March 1921) was a Russian scientist, mathematician and engineer, and a founding father of modern aero- and hydrodynamics. Whereas contemporary scientists scoffed at the idea of human flight, Zhukovsky was the first to undertake the study of airflow. He is often called the Father of Russian Aviation.

The Joukowsky transform is named after him, while the fundamental aerodynamical theorem, the Kutta–Joukowski theorem, is named after both him and German mathematician Martin Kutta.

  1. ^ His surname is usually romanised as Joukovsky or Joukowsky in the literature. See for example Joukowsky transform, Kutta–Joukowski theorem and so on.