  In this paper we consider two sources of enhancement for the meshfree
Lagrangian particle method smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) by improving
the accuracy of the particle approximation. Namely, we will consider shape
functions constructed using: moving least-squares approximation (MLS); radial
basis functions (RBF). Using MLS approximation is appealing because polynomial
consistency of the particle approximation can be enforced. RBFs further appeal
as they allow one to dispense with the smoothing-length -- the parameter in the
SPH method which governs the number of particles within the support of the
shape function. Currently, only ad hoc methods for choosing the
smoothing-length exist. We ensure that any enhancement retains the conservative
and meshfree nature of SPH. In doing so, we derive a new set of
variationally-consistent hydrodynamic equations. Finally, we demonstrate the
performance of the new equations on the Sod shock tube problem.
