Welcome to Summer `25 Computational Mechanics

[cooperrc]

Greetings!
I'm excited to get started with our exploration of computational problem solving for engineering problems. We'll use Python to make functions, plots, and analyze data and equations. Its one of my favorite classes and applications.

Let's get started by using the Discussion board. Its a public-facing discussion, so you don't have to use your name in any of these chats. Answer these three questions,

1. What's your favorite Summer spot to be?
2. What is a specific skill that you want to work on in this course that will help your career? e.g. technology skills, critical thinking, teamwork (remote)
3. Share a piece of Python code and tell us what it does

note: Use the ```python-backticks to format code lines e.g.

```python
x = 1
x += 1
print(x)
```

becomes,

x = 1
x += 1
print(x)

[Peter-Romatzick]

1. My favorite spot to be in the summer is anywhere in nature. I love going on hikes because I can really just relax and get away from all the noise in life.

2. A skill that I would like to develop is using python to help with engineering problems. I have taken CSE 1010 and have a basic understanding of python but the class is more of a weed out and did not to an amazing job teaching us how to apply coding to engineering type problems so I am looking forward to being able to use it practically.

for x in range(1, 11): number = 2 * x y = number print(f"x = {x}, number = {number}, y = {y}")

[emily-g-cole]

1. My favorite spot in the summer is usually New Hampshire where a lot of my extended family lives! I love all the mountains and lakes, makes for very beautiful hikes!
2. A skill that I would like to develop better analysis and critical thinking skills. I believe these are crucial skills that make engineers, engineers and it would be very beneficial for me to have these skills in the workforce.

n = 5
factorial = 1

for i in range(1, n + 1):
    factorial *= i

print(f"The factorial of {n} is {factorial}")

becomes

The factorial of 5 is 120

[cooperrc]

Nature is the best place to be, I start my days with coffee and a tree bath

:)

[C-vonk]

1. My favorite summer spot to be in is southern germany. I have a lot of family there and there are beautiful mountains and lakes.
2. Through this course i want to work on my critical thinking and coding skills

x = (1,4,6,3,5,7,2)
y  = x.sort()

print(f"{x} sorted is {y}")

This code sorts a list of numbers and outputs

(1,4,6,3,5,7,2) sorted is (1,2,3,4,5,6,7)

[cooperrc]

Southern Germany sounds great, I haven't been there in a long time. My dad, my brother, and I drove a car from Stuttgart to Paris. It was incredible.

one nitpicky note:

Python uses (...) to create 'tuples' which are oddly close to 'lists'.

main difference is that tuples are not 'mutable' which means you can't rearrange or change the length of the original tuple. You would need to make a copy of it

[dteti8]

1. My favorite summer spot is anywhere I can swim, such as a lake or an ocean. Cooling off in the water on hot summer days is always fun for me.
2. I want to become more skilled in Python through this course. I hope to create real-world models that can be used to solve problems within the field of engineering.
3. Code:

x = (1,3,5,7,9)
print(x)

this code prints a list of numbers:
1,3,5,7,9

[cooperrc]

I do love swimming in the Summer. We spend a lot of time at the beach.

ref: tuple-vs-list

[Shane-Hartunian]

1. My favorite summer spot would be spending time with family and friends either outside cooking on the grill, playing some yard games, or even just playing some board games with good company. Having a window open or screen door to let the nice, fresh breeze in adds such a good energy only available in the summertime.

2. I want to aim to be an energy engineer and some of the skills listed are math, problem solving, and data analysis which are all skills I hope to strengthen during this course.

3. Below is a simple example of using the curve_fit() function to find the best fit line used in linear regression analysis:

import numpy as np
from scipy.optimize import curve_fit

# Define a linear function
def linear_func(x, m, b):
    return m * x + b

# Sample x and y data
x_data = np.array([1, 2, 3, 4, 5])
y_data = np.array([2.1, 4.1, 6.0, 8.2, 10.1])  # Slightly noisy linear data

# Perform curve fitting
popt, _ = curve_fit(linear_func, x_data, y_data)

# Extract fitted parameters
m_fit, b_fit = popt

# Print fitted parameters
print(f"Fitted equation: y = {m_fit:.2f}x + {b_fit:.2f}")

[cooperrc]

nice use of scipy here. I agree, good vibes only in the Summer :)

[LFR21001]

1. My favorite summer spot has to be the my car (not during rush hour). I just like driving and listening to music when the weather is nice.

2. I intend to hone my python coding skills in order to use them for simple tasks which can be expedited through the use of code. Many computations can be mentally demanding and monotonous, which is why coding exists.

3. This code defines a couple simple functions for equations relevant to my research. We are currently building an RC airplane that is powered by a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell, as well as a Zinc Air Battery.

def activationoverpot(a, i_FC, i_0):
    V_act = a*np.log(i_FC/i_0)
    return V_act

def fuelcellvoltage(E_nernst, V_act, V_ohm, V_conc):
    V_FC = E_nernst - V_act - V_ohm - V_conc
    return V_FC
    ### function

def motorvoltagecalc(motorconst, noloadi):
    return motorconst*noloadi

[cooperrc]

cool example from SOFC research! why do you need activationoverpot, fuelcellvoltage and motorvoltagecalc? do the inputs from one feed into the next?

[LFR21001]

We need some of these inputs to solve other equations. Altogether, there are about 60 equations which require inputs from multiple equations in order to to translate DC Bus Voltage to Thrust and vice-versa.

[JillianSS]

1. My favorite summer spot has to be the beach. I love the sand and walking by the water.
2. I'd really like to improve my skills in coding with python and making plots.
3. This code converts mm to inches. I use this conversation a lot in my job.

mm = 100.00

inches  = mm / 25.4
print('%0.1f mm is equal to %0.2f inches' % (m, inches))

[cooperrc]

👍 for the beach, nice conversion setup

[cedumouchel]

1. My favorite summer spot to be is in New Hampshire. I love swimming in the Saco River and going on walks there.
2. One skill I want to improve in this course to help my career is critical thinking. I think this is a really important skill in the entire field of engineering to help us effectively solve problems.
3. This code prompts the user for their name, and after the user inputs their name it prints a welcome message.

name=input("Enter your name")
print("Hello", name,"!")

[cooperrc]

Saco River is beautiful

[cpgordon]

1. My favorite spot to be during the summer is camping with friends and family. It's nice to just get out and disconnect from the world for a bit after a long week.
2. The skill I need to improve on most is my coding skills, and more in depth understanding of coding. I've never been great at coding but it would be a very useful skill in the working world.
3. This is a piece of code I wrote last semester for my heat transfer class. This is a 1D heat conduction equation that finds the heat flux given the thermal conductivity, side temperatures, and wall thickness.

q = -k * (T2 - T1) / L     # Fourier's Law

k = 200      # Thermal conductivity [W/m·K] 
T1 = 100     # Temperature on side 1 [°C]
T2 = 25      # Temperature on side 2 [°C]
L = 0.01     # Wall thickness [m]


q = -k * (T2 - T1) / L  # Negative because heat is flowing from hot to cold

print(f"Heat flux: {q:.2f} W/m²")

[cooperrc]

nice throwback to heat transfer. one nitpick, when you run the first line it will stop the code with an error,

q = -k * (T2 - T1) / L     # Fourier's Law

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
NameError                                 Traceback (most recent call last)
Cell In[1], line 1
----> 1 q = -k * (T2 - T1) [/](http://localhost:8888/) L

NameError: name 'k' is not defined

even though the variables are defined below.

[Zjp21001]

1. My favorite summer spot is at my friends lake house where we hike fish and chill by the campfire.
2. I would like to learn how to properly code an FFT. We touched upon it in ME3262 however I never thoroughly understood how to make the code.

T_total = k * (omega1**2 + omega2**2 + omega3**2 + omega4**2)
omega_eq = np.sqrt(m * g / (4 * k))

These were lines that I used in my quadcopter model(translated from matlab to python) to display total thrust and rotor speed required to reach equilibrium

[cooperrc]

love a good campfire 🔥

one nitpick: you'll hit a NameError if the variables aren't defined yet,

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
NameError                                 Traceback (most recent call last)
Cell In[2], line 1
----> 1 T_total = k * (omega1**2 + omega2**2 + omega3**2 + omega4**2)
      2 omega_eq = np.sqrt(m * g [/](http://localhost:8888/) (4 * k))

NameError: name 'k' is not defined

[Mohammad-Muhaidat]

1.my favorite summer spot is being with my family back home in Jordan and it could be in any quiet and relaxing place in nature.
2. i would love to improve my coding skills in python .
3.

def square(n):
    return n * n

for i in range(1, 6):
    print(f"The square of {i} is {square(i)}")

this code defines a function called square that return the square of a number then it uses the for loop to print the number with its square from 1-5

the output
The square of 1 is 1
The square of 2 is 4
The square of 3 is 9
The square of 4 is 16
The square of 5 is 25

[cooperrc]

Never been to Jordan, I'm sure its a beautiful place especially with loved ones.

I like the pretty print {} use of variables.

[HCastillo03]

1. My favorite summer spot to be is just anywhere with good company such as my friends or family, with the right people anywhere can be a fun place to be. If I had to choose an activity it would be going out to eat or going to the beach.
2. A specific skill I would like to work on would be how it would be to work with a team in a remote setting as that is not something I am too familiar with, as well as getting better on my use of python.
3. Code:

num = int(input("Enter a number: "))
square = num * num
print("The square of", num, "is", square)

The code prompts user to enter a number and prints out in a sentence what the square of the number is, for example if user inputs the number 7 it becomes:

Enter a number: 7
The square of 7 is 49

[emmagriffith33]

Hello Class,

My favorite summer spot is definitely on the water. I love boating on the weekends with my friends and family in the Long Island Sound and the CT River. My favorite place to go on the boat is Block Island!
I am excited to improve my communication skills through this online class. I think it will be helpful because once I graduate and get a job, people often work remotely, so learning how to communicate now will help!
for i in range(1,4): print(f"{i} sqaured is {i**2}")
this code will give us a list of the square of numbers that we give it!

[emily-johnston]

1. My favorite summer spot to be is on the water, or really just anywhere with my family and friends.
2. Some specific skills I would like to work on throughout this course are my critical thinking skills, as well as coding/technological skills.
3. This code will plot a simple line graph using the chosen values of x and y. The axis labels and title of the graph will also be shown.

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

x = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
y = [2, 4, 1, 3, 5]

plt.plot(x, y)

plt.xlabel("X-axis")
plt.ylabel("Y-axis")
plt.title("Random Graph")

plt.show()

[emily-johnston]