So I have this extra credit assignment about applications of DE's. All I have to do is find a real world DE that applies to my field (Mechanical Engineering) and explain what the variables mean and a little bit of background. Anyone know of a good DE off the top of your head that relates to automobiles in anyway? Or just a good real life DE will work also. The assignment it self is a piece of cake, its just a matter of finding a good real world example.

4/7/2007 3:51:01 PM

if you haven't already taken it, borrow someone's mae 315 textbook. you can no doubt find a vibrations equation that would fit your need

4/7/2007 3:57:45 PM

Yeah vibrations scream about diff eqs.

4/7/2007 4:08:00 PM

maybe my brother still has his

4/7/2007 4:08:06 PM

I just made up some sweet diff eqs on lyme disease spreading with regards to global warming.


But, it was a bunch of bs.

4/7/2007 4:21:36 PM

What about the car's suspension system.

http://www.adeptscience.co.uk/products/mathsim/maple/powertools/optimization/html/suspension.html

scroll down to where it says "Deriving the Actual Response "

omega_n = natural freq
zeta=damping ratio
The rest of the terms are defined...

[Edited on April 7, 2007 at 5:46 PM. Reason : .]

4/7/2007 5:46:04 PM

does spring-mass dashpot ring a bell???

seriously man, a suspension system. doesn't get any easier than that

4/7/2007 6:20:12 PM

thanks for the info guys, will most likely go with the above link as an example

4/7/2007 7:24:37 PM

Paul Cousins?

4/8/2007 4:19:25 AM

you could talk about like a third-order spring-dashpot system. hell, there's even a poster in harrelson detailing it all. nice mathy treatment of it all along with applications in mechanics.

4/8/2007 11:19:56 AM

Maybe you could model each car's position as a variable. Then you'd need a term for acceleration, breaking,drag, refueling, and also interference from traffic. Maybe start with a hypothetical straight race track. It'd give you a system of coupled ODEs.

4/8/2007 2:00:35 PM

nevermind

[Edited on April 8, 2007 at 2:34 PM. Reason : lawl]

4/8/2007 2:33:37 PM

any control system will probably have use of DEs using Laplace Transforms to solve them. I'm sure if you looked that up you might find something dealing with an ABS system or handling system in a car.

4/8/2007 11:17:39 PM

Quote :

"any linear siso control system will probably have use of DEs using Laplace Transforms to solve them"

[Edited on April 9, 2007 at 1:43 AM. Reason : .]

4/9/2007 1:42:55 AM