User:Eml4500.f08.bottle.butler/HW 1

Finite Element Analysis is a method of solving partial differential equations (PDE’s) and integral equations by approximating solutions. The PDE’s and integrals are reduced into less complex equations and solved using common methods. It is typically used in engineering to perform complex computer analysis on materials and designs. The item being analyzed is broken down into a series of matrices and analyzed on a smaller scale. It was first applied to vibration systems in 1943 by R. Courant (http://www.sv.vt.edu/classes/MSE2094_NoteBook/97ClassProj/num/widas). Since then it has been used in a wide variety of fields and industries from manufacturing to biomedical research.

The Finite Element Analysis and Design (FEAD) class at the University of Florida, EML 4500, is offered on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday’s this fall. It meets from 3:00-3:50 in the Florida gym beginning on August 25th and ending on December 10th. The class is composed of lectures, group projects, and three exams. These exams are scheduled for Wednesday September 24th, Wednesday October 22nd, and Wednesday December 3rd. These dates are none negotiable and the policy is no make-up exams. A wide variety of material will be covered in class, including but not limited to trusses, beams, solid structures, linear stability, mixed algebra, and design analysis.

The book used in the current fall semester is Finite Element Analysis With Mathematica and Matlab Computations and Practical Applications: Fundamental Concepts by M. Asghar Bhatti and MATLAB software will be used extensively.

MATLAB is an integral part of this course. The first assignment for the class is to explore and attempt the University of Florida’s MATLAB primer tutorial, as seen below. It is imperative that students begin the class with a solid foundation in the software that will be used in later analyses.

A large portion of the course will be used to encourage group work and utilize cooperative learning techniques. Students will submit reports containing a summarization of the week’s lecture notes and a problem or two exemplifying the theories explained in lecture. Wikiversity software will be used to submit the assignment. This is advantageous to the student in several ways. First, it will allow the student to learn a new form of communication /idea sharing or allow a student already familiar with Wikiversity to gain a better understanding of the software. A second advantage is that is accessible from any place that has an internet connection. This allows students to contribute to the group project at any time and allows all group members to oversee the final report. It also allows the instructor to see the individual contributions of each group member and ensures that all members are participating.

To submit a report each group member must create an individual Wikipedia account. From there work can be uploaded to individual pages or the group page and can be accessed by all.