An Introduction to Technical Problem Solving with MATLAB v.7

Technical problem-solving lies at the heart of the study of engineering, and computer-based tools that support problem solving have become common currency for engineers. This book bridges the gap between rote problem solving encountered at the high school level and the open-ended problem solving expected of college engineering students. Progressively, M.A.T.L.A.B. is introduced as a sophisticated scalar calculator with stored program capability, then as a vector and array calculator with stored programs and with emphasis on vectorizing common engineering problems, and finally as a general programming environment for technical problem solving. The first half of the text introduces and explains a working set of M.A.T.L.A.B. commands. The second half of the text leads the student through applications of M.A.T.L.A.B. to selected problems of widespread utility in engineering and expands on many of the M.A.T.L.A.B. commands from the first half of the book. An Introduction to Technical Problem Solving with MatLab v.7 is intended primarily for freshman and sophomore engineering students, in both four-year and two-year institutions, but is also appropriate for students in other disciplines who are learning quantitative problem-solving supported by computer tools. Students are assumed to have completed Algebra II at the high school level.New to the Second Edition:* Augmentation of the Framework Chapter (currently Chapter 2): problems that are like the "Haybale problem" but with details and solutions left out. (This is not actual M.A.T.L.A.B., but rather intro. to problem solving material)* Addition to the chapter on programming (I.F./F.O.R.) to include while loops* Addition of 3-D plotting to the chapter on 2-D Plotting and help* Addition of a new chapter on Symbolic Computations