Ascher H. Shapiro
- November 26, 2004
- 88 years
About Ascher H. Shapiro
Ascher H. Shapiro, 88, American professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT.
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Full Biography
|Ascher Herman Shapiro (May 20, 1916 – November 26, 2004) was a professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT. He grew up in New York City.
Early life and education
Shapiro was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, to Jewish Lithuanian immigrant parents. He earned his B.S. in 1938 and an D.Sc. in 1946 in the field of mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Career
After starting at MIT as a laboratory assistant in mechanical engineering, Shapiro was eventually appointed assistant professor at MIT in 1943 where he taught fluid mechanics. A prolific author of texts in his field, his two-volume treatise, The Dynamics and Thermodynamics of Compressible Fluid Flow, published in 1953 and 1954, is considered a classic. His 1961 book Shape and Flow: The Fluid Dynamics of Drag explained boundary layer phenomena and drag in simple, non-mathematical terms. He also founded the National Council for Fluid Mechanics Films (NCFMF), in cooperation with the Educational Development Center. From there, Shapiro was appointed Chair of the Institute's Faculty in 1964-1965 and head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering from 1965 to 1974.
In 1962 he demonstrated the Coriolis effect in a bathtub-sized water tank placed in MIT (latitude 42° N). The experiment required extreme precision, since the acceleration due to Coriolis effect is only that of gravity. The tank was filled, kept static for 24 hours, then drained. The vortex was measured by a cross made of two slivers of wood floating above the draining hole. It takes 20 minutes to drain, and the cross starts turning only after around 15 minutes. At the end it is turning at 1 rotation every 3 to 4 seconds.
Shapiro was elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1952, the National Academy of Sciences in 1967, and National Academy of Engineering in 1974. He was awarded the Benjamin Garver Lamme Award by the American Society of Engineering Education in 1977. He was awarded the Fluids Engineering Award in 1977 and the Drucker Medal in 1999 by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He was awarded honorary Doctor of Science in 1978 by the University of Salford and in 1985 by the Technion.
Books
- Shapiro, Ascher H., Dynamics and Thermodynamics of Compressible Fluid Flow, Krieger Pub. Co; Reprint ed., with corrections (June 1983), ISBN 0-89874-566-7.
- Shapiro, Ascher H., Shape and flow: The fluid dynamics of drag, Anchor Books, 1961.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascher_H._Shapiro
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Ascher H. Shapiro's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what city was Ascher H. Shapiro born?
- A.Brooklyncorrect
- B.Chicago
- C.Philadelphia
- D.Boston
Ascher H. Shapiro was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.
Source: Early life and education section
2.What subject did Ascher H. Shapiro teach at MIT?
- A.Fluid mechanicscorrect
- B.Civil engineering
- C.Computer science
- D.Quantum physics
Ascher H. Shapiro was appointed assistant professor at MIT in 1943 where he taught fluid mechanics.
Source: Career section
3.When did Ascher H. Shapiro earn his B.S. degree from MIT?
- A.1938correct
- B.1946
- C.1930
- D.1952
Ascher H. Shapiro earned his B.S. degree in 1938 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Source: Early life and education section
4.Which organization did Ascher H. Shapiro found in cooperation with the Educational Development Center?
- A.National Council for Fluid Mechanics Filmscorrect
- B.American Society of Mechanical Engineers
- C.National Academy of Engineering
- D.International Society of Fluid Dynamics
Ascher H. Shapiro founded the National Council for Fluid Mechanics Films (NCFMF) in cooperation with the Educational Development Center.
Source: Career section
5.What was the title of the book published by Ascher H. Shapiro in 1961?
- A.Introduction to Mechanical Engineering
- B.The Dynamics of Thermodynamics
- C.Shape and Flow: The Fluid Dynamics of Dragcorrect
- D.Principles of Fluid Motion
Ascher H. Shapiro's 1961 book was titled Shape and Flow: The Fluid Dynamics of Drag.
Source: Career section
6.Ascher H. Shapiro served as the head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT during which years?
- A.1980–1990
- B.1975–1985
- C.1965–1974correct
- D.1950–1960
Ascher H. Shapiro was the head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT from 1965 to 1974.
Source: Career section
7.How long did the water tank experiment take to drain in Ascher H. Shapiro's 1962 demonstration?
- A.5 minutes
- B.30 minutes
- C.20 minutescorrect
- D.10 minutes
It takes 20 minutes to drain the water tank used in Ascher H. Shapiro's Coriolis effect experiment.
Source: Career section
8.In what year was Ascher H. Shapiro elected to the National Academy of Sciences?
- A.1967correct
- B.1952
- C.1974
- D.1985
Ascher H. Shapiro was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1967.
Source: Career section
9.Ascher H. Shapiro was awarded the Drucker Medal in which year?
- A.2004
- B.1999correct
- C.1977
- D.1985
Ascher H. Shapiro was awarded the Drucker Medal in 1999 by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Source: Career section
10.Ascher H. Shapiro was born to parents from which background?
- A.German industrialist
- B.Jewish Lithuanian immigrantscorrect
- C.French scientific
- D.English aristocratic
Ascher H. Shapiro was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, to Jewish Lithuanian immigrant parents.
Source: Early life and education section
11.What field of study did Ascher H. Shapiro pursue his D.Sc. in at MIT?
- A.Applied Mathematics
- B.Thermodynamics
- C.Mechanical Engineeringcorrect
- D.Fluid Physics
Ascher H. Shapiro earned his D.Sc. in 1946 in the field of mechanical engineering at MIT.
Source: Early life and education section
12.How long was the tank kept static before draining in Ascher H. Shapiro's Coriolis effect experiment?
- A.12 hours
- B.48 hours
- C.24 hourscorrect
- D.6 hours
The tank used by Ascher H. Shapiro was kept static for 24 hours before it was drained.
Source: Career section
13.Ascher H. Shapiro served as Chair of the Institute's Faculty at MIT during which period?
- A.1974–1975
- B.1960–1961
- C.1970–1971
- D.1964–1965correct
Ascher H. Shapiro was appointed Chair of the Institute's Faculty in 1964-1965.
Source: Career section
14.Which institution awarded Ascher H. Shapiro an honorary Doctor of Science in 1985?
- A.Harvard University
- B.University of Salford
- C.Technioncorrect
- D.MIT
Ascher H. Shapiro was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science in 1985 by the Technion.
Source: Career section
15.What objects were used to measure the vortex in Ascher H. Shapiro's 1962 experiment?
- A.Two slivers of woodcorrect
- B.Metal shavings
- C.Small plastic balls
- D.Colored dye
The vortex in the tank was measured by a cross made of two slivers of wood floating above the draining hole.
Source: Career section
16.Ascher H. Shapiro died in which year?
- A.2004correct
- B.1999
- C.2008
- D.2016
Ascher H. Shapiro passed away on November 26, 2004.
Source: Biographical introduction
People who died on November 26
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