SEMM1013 PROGRAMMING FOR ENGINEERS

ACADEMIC SESSION 2024/2025 SEMESTER 2

PROJECT 1
(PROGRAMMING WITH C)

[TITLE OF THE PROJECT]

NAME :

MATRIC NUMBER :

SECTION :

LECTURER :

DATE OF SUBMISSION:
1.0 Problem Statement

Area moment of inertia, also known as second moments of area, is a geometrical property
of an area which reflects how its points are distributed with respect to an arbitrary axis.
This property is very important in structural engineering such as in determining the
strength or deformation of a material.

Each cross-sectional area has a specific formula to determine the area moment of inertia.
The formulae of area moment of inertia for four (4) different beam cross-sections where
the arbitrary axes pass through the centroid are listed in Table 1. Instead of remembering
the formulae and doing manual calculations, a calculator specifically programmed to
calculate area moment of inertia of various cross-sections can be a useful tool to
engineers, thus avoiding calculation mistakes.

Table 1: Area moment of inertia of various beam cross-sections.

Beam Cross-Section Formula

Hollow Rectangle
𝑏ℎ3 − 𝑏1 ℎ13
𝐼𝑥 =
12

𝑏 3 ℎ − 𝑏13 ℎ1
𝐼𝑦 =
12

Ellipse
𝜋 3
𝐼𝑥 = 𝑎𝑏
4
𝜋 3
𝐼𝑦 = 𝑎 𝑏
4

Annulus

𝜋 4
𝐼𝑥 = 𝐼𝑦 = (𝑟 − 𝑟14 )
4 2

Circular Sector

𝑟4
𝐼𝑥 = (𝜃 − sin 𝜃)
8

where 𝜃 is in radian
2.0 Your Task

Write a program for an area moment of inertia calculator which accomplishes the
following requirements:

1. The program must consist of different programmer-defined functions, with each

function corresponding to calculating the area moment of inertia for a specific beam
cross-section, as listed in Table 1. (More beam cross-sections can be added in the
program).
2. The program should display a main menu screen which allows users to select a beam
cross-section for calculating the area moment of inertia or end the program, as shown
in the example below:

3. Aftfter a selectition is made, the program should clear the main menu screen and
prompt the users to enter the required parameters for calculatiting the area moment
of inertitia.
4. The program should use the functitions created in Step 1 to calculate the area
moment of inertitia for the selected beam cross-sectition and display the results in
four decimal places and with appropriate SI units and Imperial units.
5. The program should display an error message if the calculatition results are invalid.

REMEMBER: Include comments throughout the code wherever necessary to ensure

other programmers can easily understand each part of the program.
3.0 Reporting

The project must be compiled in a report that includes the following items:

1. Front page (please use the front page template)

2. Table of contents
3. Problem definitions (use your own words)
4. Objective
5. Program algorithm and flowchart
6. Results and discussion
6.1 Explain the written code. For example, if symbolic constant and nest control
statement are used in the program, explain their purposes in the program.
6.2 Show the calculation results for all beam cross-sections (screenshot from the
console).
6.3 Explain how the calculations are validated.
6.4 Suggest any improvements to the current program.
7. Conclusion
8. References
9. Appendix A (Program Source Code). Copy the code from the compiler and paste it in
the report. Do not screenshot.
Appendix B (Project Assessment Rubric). Refer to Page 6.

NOTE: Please use Calibri font size 12 for the report.

This is an INDIVIDUAL project. So, each student must have a UNIQUE project report
and program source code.

Submit the project report in .pdf format together with the source code in .txt format
on the elearning portal.

Name your files using the following syntax:

• for the report file: [FULL NAME](SECTION NUMBER)-REPORT PROJECT 1

• for the source code file: [FULL NAME](SECTION NUMBER)-CODE PROJECT 1

Example: ALI BABA(SECTION 01)-REPORT PROJECT 1

Example: ALI BABA(SECTION 01)-CODE PROJECT 1

DUE DATE FOR SUBMISSION: 1 JUNE 2025 BEFORE 11.59 PM

4.0 Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools

1. In digital era, artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT and Copilot have become
integral parts of our lives.
2. These tools can help us in many ways such as giving ideas, suggestions, information,
or even completing certain tasks like writing a program for an area moment of inertia
calculator.
3. This has posed a threat to the academic world, raising concerns about plagiarism,
originality of work and integrity.
4. In completing this project, the students are allowed to discuss with friends, do
research on the internet and even use any AI tools.
5. However, the students must use these tools ethically. They MUST NOT simply copy
and paste the suggestions provided by the AI tools without critical evaluation and
proper understanding.
6. Everything must be verified and validated with well-established resources such as
textbooks.
7. Anyone who fails to comply with Point 5 and Point 6 will receive zero mark for the
project.
8. Below is an example of a program flowchart generated by an AI tool, submitted in a
previous project. Even though it looks impressive at first glance, it contains noticeable
errors such as incorrect use of flowchart symbols, incomplete terms, and typing errors.
 APPENDIX B: PROJECT ASSESSMENT RUBRIC

SEMM1013 PROGRAMMING FOR ENGINEERS

PROJECT 1 (PROGRAMMING WITH C)
TOTAL MARK: 20%

1. Problem statement, Methodology (Algorithm/Flowchart) [CLO1, PLO1] /5

2. Program design and source code [CLO3, PLO3] /5

3. Results (Output) [CLO4, PLO3] /5

4. Discussion and Conclusion [CLO3, PLO3] /5

TOTAL /20