A method for predicting the momentum thickness and skin friction coefficient of laminar boundary layers for arbitrary free–stream velocity distributions has been formulated. The method combines the Thwaites–Walz and Falkner–Skan methods with a numerical technique. The method is simple enough for undergraduate use. It is shown to be accurate when using only a few intermediate points up to the point of separation, making the method suitable for hand-calculation. The method also allows the integration of the Falkner–Skan equation at any particular station to obtain the velocity profile through the boundary layer.
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