User:Eml4500.f08.bottle.vitello/Week 1 Notes

'''Lecture Notes from Week 1 of EML4500: Monday 8/25, Wednesday 8/27, and Friday 8/29          Outline''' - Overview of Class and Objectives o What is FEA? - Important Dates o Exams - Materials o Book o MATLAB o Tutorials Including First Assignment - Group Projects o Format o Benefits of Wikipedia and Wikiversity o How to Submit Information - Ethics and Philosophy of Wiki use o Collaborative Techniques o Vandalism o Modern Categorical Imperative

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. 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 summary of the week’s lecture notes and a problem or two exemplifying the theories explained in lecture. Wiki 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 Wikipedia 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 at their personal convenience while allowing 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 Wikiversity account. From there work can be uploaded to individual pages or the group page and can be accessed by all.

In addition to the principles of cooperative learning, Wikipedia allows for the communication of ideas across a larger community. This community comprises the entire global network of internet users, thus refining the education and knowledge pool of the human race. The standards for Wiki use allow each member of this global community to observe and reflect on the previous efforts of singular contributions and internalize these principles when formulating their own additions to this incredible wealth of electronic knowledge. A pitfall to this open-source and easily accessible framework is that it can become subject to vandalism. To curb the occurrence of this unfortunate phenomenon, the history for each page is recorded and can be used to override the vandalized version whenever necessary. It is the ultimate goal that the Wikipedia and Wikiversity interface will be used with noble intentions with the idea of a modern categorical imperative in place, hence providing a unique tool to communicate knowledge to the rest of mankind for the greater good of the world. It is this modern categorical imperative that is at the heart of Professor Loc Vu-Quoc's vision of the power of Wikipedia and Wikiversity.

For additional resources related to the course, Professor Vu-Quoc's course website offers its own wealth of helpful information including exam dates.