Computer Programming (EPT 162/2): Electronic Books

To learn to program is to be initiated into an entirely new way of thinking about engineering, mathematics, and the world in general. Computation is integral to all modern engineering disciplines, so the better you are at programming, the better you will be in your chosen field. The author departs radically from the typical presentation by teaching concepts and techniques in a rigorous manner rather than listing how to use libraries and functions. He presents pointers in the very first chapter as part of the development of a computational model that facilitates an ab initio presentation of subjects such as function calls, call-by-reference, arrays, the stack, and the heap. The model also allows students to practice the essential skill of memory manipulation throughout the entire course rather than just at the end. As a result, this textbook goes further than is typical for a one-semester course -- abstract data types and linked lists, for example, are covered in depth. The computational model will also serve students in their adventures with programming beyond the course: instead of falling back on rules, they can think through the model to decide how a new programming concept fits with what they already know. The book is appropriate for undergraduate students of engineering and computer science, and graduate students of other disciplines. It contains many exercises integrated into the main text, and the author has made the source code available online.

If you are new to programming with C and are looking for a solid introduction, this is the book for you. Developed by computer science instructors, books in the for the absolute beginner™ series teach the principles of programming through simple game creation. C is not an easy language to learn, but fortunately the clear explanations, examples, and pictures in this book make learning C easy and fun. Each chapter contains programming challenges, a chapter review, and a complete program that uses chapter-based concepts to construct an easily built application. You will acquire the skills that you need for more practical C programming applications and will learn how these skills can be put to use in real-world scenarios. Additionally, by the time you finish this book, you will be able to apply the programming principles you've learned to the next programming language you tackle.

Although the Trefftz finite element method (FEM) has become a powerful computational tool in the analysis of plane elasticity, thin and thick plate bending, Poisson’s equation, heat conduction, and piezoelectric materials, there are few books that offer a comprehensive computer programming treatment of the subject. Collecting results scattered in the literature, MATLAB®and C Programming for Trefftz Finite Element Methods provides the detailed MATLAB®and C programming processes in applications of the Trefftz FEM to potential and elastic problems. The book begins with an introduction to the hybrid-Trefftz (HT) FEM that covers basic concepts and general element formulations of the method. It then concentrates on both the essentials and subroutines of MATLAB and C programming. The next few chapters present applications of T-elements to potential problems and linear plane elasticity, discuss how to solve body force in elasticity through radial basis functions, and examine how special purpose functions can be constructed. The final chapter explores advanced topics, such as the construction of Trefftz p-elements, dimensionless transformation, and an alternative formulation to HT FEM. Unifying the computer programming aspects of the Trefftz FEM, this book will stimulate the development and application of this novel method in many facets of practical engineering.