Lecture

Continuum Mechanics: Fundamentals and Applications

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In course

ME-201: Continuum mechanics

Continuum conservation laws (e.g. mass, momentum and energy) will be introduced. Mathematical tools, including basic algebra and calculus of vectors and Cartesian tensors will be taught. Stress and deformation tensors will be applied to examples drawn from ...

Description

This lecture introduces the concept of Continuum Mechanics, emphasizing the continuum hypothesis and its application in solving engineering and physical science problems. It explains how the hypothesis allows for the effective modeling of bodies as continuous entities, disregarding their molecular nature. The instructor discusses the use of asymptotics and scaling to handle approximations semi-quantitatively, highlighting the importance of understanding the continuum hypothesis as a mathematical modeling tool. The lecture concludes by mentioning the significant research in mechanics conducted at EPFL.

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