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Book PrefaceThis text has grown out of the authors' experiences teaching introductory computation courses to engineering students from a variety of disciplines at two different institutions. The integration of computational tools in engineering programs is a constant challenge for educators. The broad goals associated with an introductory course in computer applications
often include:
■ Teaching the concept of "procedural thinking" and algorithm development.
■ Teaching the mechanics of the computational tools required in both the subsequent academic program and professional practice.
■ Teaching the techniques for developing a computational solution to a physical problem.
■ Providing the context for the selection of a computational tool appropriate for the task at
hand.
■ Teaching the accepted techniques for documenting and verifying computer-based solutions to engineering problems.
■ Stimulating interest in upper-division coursework by introducing the students to realistic,
interesting, and exciting problems and applications.
This text will emphasize these concepts, using MATLAB® and Excel® as the software packages of choice. These packages were chosen because:
■ MATLAB is widely accepted as a first computation tool in numerous engineering programs.
■ MATLAB has the unique ability to be both used as an introductory programming tool and a
high-level computational tool; the programming constructs (loops and logic) allow it to be used
as a first programming language for engineering students, while the numerous mathematical and analysis "toolboxes" allow it to be readily applied to high-level engineering applications.
■ Excel is a ubiquitous spreadsheet application, which nearly every engineering student will
have access to during their academic and professional careers. Excel has powerful built-in
functions that allow it to be applied to high level engineering problems.
■ Since spreadsheet solutions are so fundamentally different than the procedural solutions developed using programming tools like MATLAB, the contrasting approach allows for
demonstration and discussion about implication of the choice of software tool on the type and
complexity of the solution technique.Philosophy of the Text
The underlying philosophy behind the approach taken in this text is:
■ Computer tools will change during the professional careers of a freshmen engineering student. While it is important to teach the mechanics of using the relevant tools, the focus
of this text should be on the fundamentals of engineering computing: algorithm development, selection of appropriate tools, documentation of solutions, and verification and
interpretation of results.
■ Programming is a fundamental concept for engineers; while "shortcut" solutions (such as
implied loops in MATLAB) and "canned" software are certainly appropriate for upper division
students and practicing engineers, introductory students should be focused on the
basics of structured programming: loops, logic, and array structures. These basic concepts, which are language-independent, are the critical building blocks for programming, and should be introduced early.
With this in mind, the text was developed in two parts. The first part generally covers the mechanics of programming and spreadsheet usage; including:
■ An introduction to computational theory,
■ An introduction to number representation (scalars, arrays, and matrices),
■ An introduction to programming constructs, including algorithm development and flowcharting,
■ The mechanics of MATLAB and Excel usage, and
■ Best practices in computer tool usage, including tool selection, documentation of solutions,
and checking of results.
These chapters include detailed "keystroke-level" instructions, which will guide the reader through the use of the MATLAB and Excel tools.
The second part focuses on typical applications of engineering computation; these applications are motivated with engineering problems, and include:
■ Root finding,
■ Matrix methods,
■ Simultaneous equations,
■ Numerical integration, and
■ Optimization.
These applications are intended to motivate not only engineering computation, but the use of concepts from upper-division engineering courses as well. Both theoretical concepts and "keystroke-level" tutorials are presented in these applications chapters.Instructor Resources
Additional resources for instructors are available on the web at www.mhhe.com/best. These resources include solutions to the end-of-chapter problems and book figures in PowerPoint format. Instructors can contact a McGraw-Hill representative for a password.Electronic Textbook Option
This text is offered through CourseSmart for both instructors and students. CourseSmart is an online resource where students can purchase access to this and other McGraw-Hill textbooks in a digital format. Through their browser, students can access the complete text online for one year at almost half the cost of a traditional text. Purchasing the eTextbook also allows students to take advantage of Course-Smart’s web tools for learning, which include full
text search, notes and highlighting, and email tools for sharing notes between classmates. To learn more about CourseSmart options, contact your sales representative or visit www.CourseSmart.com.Acknowledgments
We are grateful to our friends at McGraw-Hill for their support and encouragement during this project. Lora Neyens, our editor, and Bill Stenquist, our sponsoring editor, have provided invaluable support and guidance during this project. We wish to thank Fleck’s Communications for page layout, and Nicole Schlutt for copyediting. Additionally, the cooperation and support of the MathWorks Book Program was invaluable.
Feedback provided during the review process was greatly appreciated, and helped to shape the final form of this text. We wish to thank the following reviewers for their careful reviews of the initial manuscript:
Ali Elkamel, University of Waterloo
Bill Elmore, Mississippi State University
Howard Fulmer, Villanova University
Brian Grady, Oklahoma University
Mark Kerstetter, Western Michigan University
Leo Pérez y Pérez, California State University at Long Beach
Michael Robinson, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
David Rockstraw, New Mexico State University
Scott Short, Northern Illinois University
Elisa H. Barney Smith, Boise State University
J. Steven Swinnea, University of Texas at Austin
Michael Weinstein, University of Rochester
Students in the Computing Applications in Engineering course at East Carolina University class tested an early version of this text; their feedback was appreciated. Also at East Carolina University, Scott Martin provided a thorough reading and review of this text, and we thank him for his insight and input.Joe Musto
Ed Howard
Rick Williams
MATLAB is a registered trademark of The MathWorks, Inc.
Excel is a registered trademark of The Microsoft Corporation.
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2009 McGraw-Hill Higher Education