Preface

Numerical Computing is an important course for engineers to take as it opens up the use of Matlab as a tool in your arsenal. For example, as seen in problem 5, you can non-trivially find the angle of an oblique shock instead of interpolating off of an accepted graph. Matlab introduces precision and takes much of the heavy lifting of engineering off the individuals shoulders. Matlab can be used for a variety of tasks if it is understood by the person writing the code. It is essential to understand how Matlab works and how it will fail in order to get the best quality results. As seen in problem 1, not understanding how a script works can result in a $\$$7 Billion project exploding. Just like all engineers, Matlab has flaws, but it is the engineer that must be responsible to know these faults and it's strengths in order to be successfully implemented. As many engineers will see, Matlab will become an integral part of your understanding of engineering, as many mechanics problems are now solved numerically to ensure precise results. Furthermore, it can make your life easier as it's easier to change one variable and re-run a code then it is to redo countless calculations if one makes a mistake early in your solution. Good luck in your studies!!