Integration vs Excel Plotting on Beam Deflection

by Eric Burkett

Submitted : Spring 2010

This project will be performed to demonstrate how calculus can be applied within the area of beam deflection. This calculus approach will then be compared with an non-analytical approach by way of the trapezoidal rule to see if this non-calculus approach can be adequately applied for integrals that are either too difficult to solve or have no known solution. Microsoft Excel will analyze the data by way of the trapezoidal rule. This will be done multiple times for an individual problem, becoming more precise each time. With the exact solution to the integral known from utilizing calculus, the error between this and the non-analytical approach can be determined.

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