M IDTERM P ROJECT Draft report due October 23

ENGR 108 95V/96V (2013F) Final report due October 30

Project description
Use MATLAB and your knowledge of systems of linear equations to find a solution to one of the below
four problems. Present your solution in the form of a technical report.

Your technical report should be in the following format:

Title page: Identify the topic, yourself, the class name and number, and the date.
Introduction: Describe the problem, including any pictures or diagrams, and what
needs to be done to find its solution.
Theory and analysis: Show how you translated the problem into a system of linear
equations. If necessary, prove a unique solution exists.
Procedure: Demonstrate the steps required to solve the problem in MATLAB in a
format that is easy to read. Provide code or screenshots to help illustrate your
method.

Results: Interpret the MATLAB output and translate it into an answer. Make a table
or diagram that illustrates the results.
Discussion and conclusion: Check your answer to ensure it makes physical sense.
Are there any problems or inaccuracies with your solution? What fixes or im-
provements could you make to your method?

Appendix: Put here the MATLAB code and output, hand-written calculations, or
other miscellaneous information that does not fit into the body of the report
but is relevant to the solution of the problem.

Report requirements
Your report should meet the following formatting standards:

• Laid out on letter (8 21 ” × 11”) paper, 1 inch margin on each side

• 12 point serif font (Times, Cambria, Book Antiqua, Palatino, etc.), double line spacing
• Last name and page number in the header of each page except the title page
• All equations typeset with the Word equation editor or similar
• Put a caption below every figure and a title above every table

• If you use any external sources, cite them properly using a consistent citation scheme (APA, MLA,
IEEE, etc.)
Submit your draft and final reports in PDF, DOC or DOCX format via WebStudy. An example template will
be provided for your reference.

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1 Civil engineering: truss analysis
You have been assigned by a structural engineering firm to investigate the stability of the small bridge truss
shown below. Each of the members in the truss can safely carry a maximum compression load of 20 k and
a maximum tension load of 40 k. The typical wind (horizontal) and traffic (vertical) loads on the truss are
shown on the diagram.

12 ft 12 ft 12 ft 12 ft

14 k

4 ft

12 ft

8k 13 k 10 k

Figure 1: The 48 ft span truss

1.1 Objective
Calculate the loads on each member, and determine if the truss is safe for the given loading.

1.2 Tips for solving

• 1 k (1 kip or kilo-pound) is equal to 1000 lb.
• Use the equilibrium equations at each joint to construct the system of linear equations.
• At the left joint, there is a horizontal and a vertical reaction force. At the right joint, there is only a
vertical reaction force.
• Assume that all the internal member forces are oriented the same way (that is, they’re all either in
compression and pointing to the joints, or in tension and pointings away from the joints).
• Draw a sketch of the truss to keep the force directions organized.

• Check your answer by making sure the external forces are in equilibrium.

2
2 Electrical engineering: DC circuit analysis
You have been assigned by an electronics manufacturer to analyze the DC steady-state circuit shown below.
The system is powered by two ideal voltage sources with no resistance and has five components that behave
as resistors.

1Ω i1

+
130 V −

1.5 Ω
2.5 Ω 2Ω
i5
i2 i3

−
+ 24 V 1.5 Ω

i4

Figure 2: The circuit to be analyzed

2.1 Objective
Find the current through each component in the system.

2.2 Tips for solving

• Use Kirchoff’s voltage and current rules to construct the system of linear equations. The voltage drop
across a resistor is V = iR.
• If a voltage loop goes in the direction opposite the assumed current direction through a resistor, add
the voltage instead of subtracting it. If a loop goes through a voltage source backwards, subtract the
voltage instead of adding it.
• Check that your voltage loops and current nodes cover all the components in the circuit.
• Use a loop and a node that you didn’t use in your system of equations to check your answer.

3
3 Transportation engineering: traffic flow measurement
A local town’s department of public works wants to analyze the traffic that flows through its downtown
traffic circle during rush-hour. A traffic circle is a type of roadway construction that allows for multiple
roads to intersect without requiring traffic control devices like stop signs or traffic lights. Drivers enter at
one on-ramp of the circle and drive around the circle until they reach their off-ramp.
The department counts how many cars pass through each entrance and exit ramp, but doesn’t have
any data on the traffic along the circle itself. You have been asked to calculate the hourly traffic at the five
roadway segments marked on the road map below.
The direction of traffic flow is shown on the diagram. No cars are able to park on the circle, or enter or
leave it anywhere besides the entrance and exit ramps.

150
250

75
300

◦
◦

200
◦
150

◦
◦

200
50

175
200

Figure 3: Typical rush-hour traffic through the downtown traffic circle

3.1 Objective
Show the average amount of hourly traffic on each segment of the traffic circle at the marked points, or
explain what additional information you would need to determine this.

3.2 Tips for solving

• The total number of cars entering a point on the roadway has to be the same as the number of cars
leaving that point.
• If left-division doesn’t provide a solution to the system, use rref to determine how many solutions
the system has.

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4 Numerical analysis: polynomial interpolation
Given a set of n + 1 unique coordinate pairs ( x0 , y0 ), ( x1 , y1 ), . . . , ( xn , yn ), there is exactly one polynomial
y = an x n + an−1 x n−1 + · · · + a2 x + a1 that passes through all n + 1 points. For example, if we have two
points, we can determine the unique line that passes through it; a quadratic parabola is determined by three
points, and so forth.
For each point, we can write the linear equation

yi = xin ai + xin−1 ai−1 + · · · + xi a1 + a0

and assemble the n linear equations into the system of linear equations

= x0n an + x0n−1 an−1


 y0 + ··· + x0 a1 + a0
+ x1n−1 an−1

 y1 = x1n an + ··· + x1 a1 + a0

.. .. .. .. ..


 . . . . .
= xnn an + xnn−1 an−1 + · · · + x n a1

yn + a0

to solve for the unknown coefficients { an , an−1 , . . . , a1 , a0 }.

4.1 Objective
Calculate f ( x ) = sin x2 for eight equally-spaced values of x along the interval 0 ≤ x ≤ π/2 and fit a
polynomial approximation p( x ) to those points. Compare p( x ) to the original function f ( x ).

4.2 Tips for solving

• Use linspace to generate the eight x coordinates.
• If x is a column vector containing the eight coordinates, how could you use that to assemble the
coefficient matrix A, where the first column is x7 , the second column is x6 and so forth?
• Compare the polynomial approximation to the original function by calculating the percent error

| f ( x ) − p( x )|
δ( x ) = · 100%
f (x)

and plotting δ( x ) over −π ≤ x ≤ π. In your own words, describe how well the polynomial approxi-
mates the function.