Skip to content Skip to navigation

Connexions

You are here: Home » Content » Preface

Navigation

Recently Viewed

This feature requires Javascript to be enabled.
 

Preface

Module by: Serhat Beyenir. E-mail the author

Summary: This text should help readers to learn several problem solving techniques and introductory level engineering computation.

                                                                            In my tenth year at the Institute, 
                                                                                           I dedicate this book to 
                                                                              the dedicated members of the BCIT community.

This textbook has no goals to become The New York Times best-seller however it should help readers to learn several problem solving techniques and introductory level engineering computation. This text can also serve as a companion course manual for various engineering courses such as Engineering Laboratory, Applied Mechanics and Heat Transfer within the Power and Process Engineering program.

The best way to learn about engineering computation with spreadsheets is to actually do it. We will therefore solve many engineering problems mainly using Microsoft Excel in this book. Since the focus of the book is engineering computation, we will concentrate on the mathematical solutions, built-in engineering and scientific functions and, to a limited extent, the presentation of computational results. Thus, I assume the reader has a working knowledge of Microsoft Excel under either OS X or Windows operating systems. Those readers who are not comfortable with the basic functionality of Microsoft Excel should keep a good reference book handy as they read this text. I also assume that the reader is competent at first year Mathematics and Physics. However, access to good reference books are highly recommended.

Note:

Spreadsheets have evolved since their first appearance. I have used spreadsheets since 1997 and witnessed their visual transformation (i.e. GUI). While the current version of mainstream spreadsheet applications can offer attractive GUIs, process much more data and perform faster calculations, the commands and their syntax have hardly changed. What you will learn in this book is mostly independent of the various versions of Microsoft Excel available today.

Content actions

Download module as:

Add module to:

My Favorites (?)

'My Favorites' is a special kind of lens which you can use to bookmark modules and collections. 'My Favorites' can only be seen by you, and collections saved in 'My Favorites' can remember the last module you were on. You need an account to use 'My Favorites'.

| A lens I own (?)

Definition of a lens

Lenses

A lens is a custom view of the content in the repository. You can think of it as a fancy kind of list that will let you see content through the eyes of organizations and people you trust.

What is in a lens?

Lens makers point to materials (modules and collections), creating a guide that includes their own comments and descriptive tags about the content.

Who can create a lens?

Any individual member, a community, or a respected organization.

What are tags? tag icon

Tags are descriptors added by lens makers to help label content, attaching a vocabulary that is meaningful in the context of the lens.

| External bookmarks