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Session 3268

Integrating MATLAB in Mechanics and Structural Analysis Courses

M. Sathyamoorthy Office of the Dean of Engineering West Virginia University Institute of Technology Montgomery, WV 25136

Abstract

This paper describes the use of MATLAB in teaching mechanics and structural analysis courses in the engineering curriculum. MATLAB is being used extensively in engineering programs across the nation as a tool in enhancing student learning. In using MATLAB for mechanics and structural analysis courses, the author has encouraged students to solve a variety of problems. In all these cases students learn to write programs that are used with MATLAB to find the solutions to such problems. Since most of these are homework assignments, co-operative learning is encouraged to facilitate students working in small groups and thus enhancing the learning process. Some examples programs are presented in this paper.

1. Introduction

MATLAB [1] is a powerful software package with graphics presentation capabilities [2] and it is available for use on a wide range of computer platforms. Its computational capabilities are powerful, user-friendly and are very well suited for computer graphics applications. It is a language that simplifies the process of solving engineering problems in a variety of disciplinary areas with the help of a very extensive library of built-in functions. It has many special purpose toolboxes and Graphical User Interface (GUI) tools that make it convenient for application development. Because of all these nice features MATLAB has gained the recognition as the premier package and is being extensively used by the educational institutions, industries and government agencies all over.

Colleges and universities around the world are looking at ways to make learning interesting [3] and to get students engaged more in the learning process. This simply translates to large demands on educators to find more efficient ways of not only presenting the class materials but also to make sure students understand the concepts and

Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2003, American Society for Engineering Education

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Sathyamoorthy, M. (2003, June), Integrating Matlab In Mechanics And Structural Analysis Courses Paper presented at 2003 Annual Conference, Nashville, Tennessee. 10.18260/1-2--11959