Ludwig Prandtl (4 February 1875 – 15 August 1953) was a
German engineer. He was a pioneer in the development of rigorous systematic mathematical analyses which he used for underlying the science of
aerodynamics, which have come to form the basis of the applied science of
aeronautical engineering. In the 1920s he developed the mathematical basis for the fundamental principles of
subsonic aerodynamics in particular; and in general up to and including
transonic velocities. His studies identified the
boundary layer, thin-airfoils, and lifting-line theories. The
Prandtl number was named after him.