Engineering Computation

A Brief Introduction to Computational Tools for Mechanics

Preface

A Brief Introduction to Computational Tools for Mechanics presents a collection of tutorials based on lecture notes from Applied Mechanics classes, designed to give learners clear and essential insights into key topics. No previous programming experience is required. Each tutorial guides you step by step through the concepts with hands-on examples and includes a problem set to reinforce understanding. You will learn to solve applied mechanics problems using computational tools, with an emphasis on practice and problem-solving rather than theory alone.

1  Python Tutorial: Introduces the fundamentals of Python, including syntax, variables, data types, operations, control flow, and functions.

2  International System of Units: Explains the International System of Units (SI), the globally accepted standard for measurement, and its role in ensuring consistency, clarity, and comparability in scientific and technical work.

3  Advanced Python Tutorial: Covers advanced Python skills, including the use of virtual environments for project isolation, installing libraries such as Pint with pip, and developing a flexible unit conversion script.

4  Python for Applied Mechanics: Demonstrates the application of Python to applied mechanics problems, using NumPy for computations, Matplotlib for visualization, and SciPy for numerical methods.