Module 01
What computational engineering is
What a computer is good at, what it is not, and how to decide whether a problem needs one at all.
What this module covers
- State what computation adds to structural engineering and what it cannot add
- Distinguish a number from an insight
- Explain why detail is not accuracy and convergence is not correctness
- Choose between mental estimate, hand calculation, spreadsheet, script, dedicated software, general analysis and no model at all
- Say who is responsible for a computational result
Lessons
What computation does well, what it does badly, and why the division of labour matters more than the tool.
Start lesson →Nine ways to answer a structural question, and how to pick the cheapest one that actually answers it.
Start lesson →Who owns a computational result, what a review is for, and why 'the software gave me that' is not a defence.
Start lesson →
Module checkpoint
Check what you have taken in
3 questions
Question 1
Which of these is the strongest evidence that a finite element model is giving a usable answer?
Question 2
You are asked whether a 250 mm flat slab spanning 7.5 m will be acceptable for footfall vibration in an open-plan office. What is the correct first move?
Question 3
A floor beam model reports a maximum deflection of 0.0000134 m under serviceability load, on a 7.2 m span. Compute the span-to-deflection ratio and say, in the answer box, that ratio to the nearest thousand.