MNE2036

MNE2036
Engineering computing
Dr. Shijun Zhao
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Email: shijzhao@cityu.edu.hk
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Introduction
• What is this course for?
• Throughout your career as engineers, you will be turning mathematical
models of engineering systems into numerical results. This course
provides Engineering Tools in the form of Numerical Methods using
Computers.
• Real world engineering design and analysis problems are
usually too complex to solve analytically!
• Numerical analysis provides algorithms (a sequence of
operations) to solve problems numerically
• Available computer packages (e.g. MATLAB, Mathematica, Computer
Aided Design (CAD), FLUENT) have built in algorithms making it easier
for engineers to solve problems.
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Course Aims & Objectives

• Aims: to equip students with the fundamental principles of
engineering modeling and computation

• Objectives: to develop skills for formulating engineering

problems into mathematical models and to study numerical
methods for solving them
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Anonymous Feedback

https://forms.gle/mDRtM5rg8zdup8iG9
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Assessment
Lecture Assignments 10% 5 assignments
(60%) In-class quiz 5% At the beginning, 10 mins
Mid-term exam 15% 2 hours
Final exam 30% 2 hours

Lab (40%) Project reports 30% 2 reports in groups (3 - 4

students)
Skill tests 10% Individual task with simple
programing test
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Lab
• Form groups (3-4 students) within each lab session
• Laboratory Schedule:
L01, L03, L05 wk2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12
L02, L04 wk3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13
• Policies:
• Absence without legit support (such as doctor’s slip to prove sickness)
implies nil achievement of that part of coursework, period
• Arrive no later than 15 minutes from the timetabled commencement
time. Otherwise, absence will be marked.
• On-site lab sessions (AC1 P7540)
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Schedule • Thursday, 12:00-2:00 pm

Week No. Date Topics
1 1.13 Modeling and engineering computing 1
2 1.20 Modeling and engineering computing 2
3 1.27 Error analysis 1
4 2.10 Error analysis 2
5 2.17 Find roots: Bracketing method
6 2.24 Find roots: Open Method
7 3.3 Mid-term
8 3.10 One-Dimensional Unconstrained Optimization
9 3.17 Multi-Dimensional Unconstrained Optimization
10 3.24 Least squares regression
11 3.31 Numerical interpolation and integration
12 4.7 Fourier series
13 4.14 Review
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Schedule Lab
report
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Schedule
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Schedule
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Textbook
• “Numerical Methods for
Engineers”, 6th edition

• Authors: Steven C. Chapra and

Raymond P. Canale

• Publisher: McGraw Hill

• Year: 2010
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Office hour
• Office hour:
Wednesday 1-2 pm, 4-5 pm
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Motivation 1
• This course can be viewed as a problem of constrained
optimization.
• Objectives:
• Maximize understanding of mathematical methods to computationally
solve problems arising in mechanical engineering
• Proficient use of popular programming languages for efficient solution
of large-scale mathematical problems arising in engineering
• Constraints:
• Finite time
• Finite student skills
• Finite instructor skills
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Motivation 1
• We can write the mathematic formula
Υ = 𝑓(𝜇, 𝜆, 𝜌, 𝜏, 𝜅1 , 𝜅2 )
Software Skill sets of instructors

Skill sets of students

Mathematical method Time
Pedagogy

𝜏 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡
• Subject to the constraints ቐ𝜅1 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡
𝜅2 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡
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Motivation 2
• The coronavirus pandemic
• Can we build a mathematical model to make predictions?

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/co
untry/china-hong-kong-sar/
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Motivation 2

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/co
untry/china-hong-kong-sar/
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Motivation 2

http://personal.cityu.edu.hk/jianlu/
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Motivation 2

http://personal.cityu.edu.hk/jianlu/
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Motivation 2

http://personal.cityu.edu.hk/jianlu/