Engineering Fundamentals: An Introduction to Engineering, 4th ed.c

18.1 Mathematical Symbols and Greek Alphabet 585

In general, engineering problems are mathematical models of physical situations.

Mathematical models of engineering problems may have many different forms.

Some engineering problems lead to linear models, whereas others result in nonlin-

ear models. Some engineering problems are formulated in the form of differential

equations and some in the form of integrals. Formulation of many engineering

problems results in a set of linear algebraic equations that are solved simultaneously.

A good understanding of matrix algebra is essential in the formulation and solution

of these problems. Therefore, in this chapter, we will discuss various mathematical

models that commonly are used to solve engineering problems. We begin our

discussion with an explanation of the need for conventional math symbols as a

means to convey information and to effectively communicate to other engineers.

Examples of math symbols will also be given. Next, we discuss the importance of

knowing the Greek alphabet and its use in engineering formulas and drawings.

This section will be followed with a discussion of simple linear and nonlinear mod-

els. Next, we introduce matrix algebra, with its own terminology and rules, which

we will define and explain. We will then briefly discuss calculus and its importance

in solving engineering problems. Calculus commonly is divided into two areas:

differential and integral calculus. Finally, the role of differential equations in

formulating engineering problems and their solutions is presented.

It is important to keep in mind that the purpose of this chapter is to focus on

important mathematical concepts and to point out why mathematics is so important

in your engineering education. The focus of this chapter is not to explain mathe-

matical concepts in detail; that will take place later in your math classes.

18.1 Mathematical Symbols and Greek Alphabet

As you already know, mathematics is a language that has its own symbols and terminology. In

elementary school, you learned about the arithmetic operational symbols, such as plus, minus,

division, and multiplication. Later, you learned about degree symbols, trigonometry symbols,

and so on. In the next four years, you will learn additional mathematical symbols and their

meanings. Make sure that you understand what they mean and use them properly when com-

municating with other students or with your instructor. Examples of some math symbols are

shown in Table 18.1.

The Greek Alphabet and Roman Numerals

As you take more and more mathematics and engineering classes, you will see that the

Greek alphabetic characters quite commonly are used to express angles, dimensions, and

physical variables in drawings and in mathematical equations and expressions. Take a few

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