Partial Differential Equations in Mechanics 1

The impetus for writing these volumes was the opportunity to teach the subject matter to both undergraduate and graduate students in engineering at several universi­ ties. The approach is distinctly different to that wh ich would adopted should such a course be given to students in pure mathematics; in this sense, the teaching of partial differential equations within an engineering curriculum should be viewed in the broader perspective of "The Modelling 0/ Problems in Engineering" . An engineering student should be given the opportunity to appreciate how the various combination of balance laws, conservation equations, kinematic constraints, constitutive responses, thermodynamic re­ strictions, etc. , culminates in the development of a partial differential equa­ tion, or sets of partial differential equations, with potential for applications to engineering problems. This ability to distill all the diverse information about a physical or mechanical process into partial differential equations is a particular attraction of the subject area.