Miscellaneous engineering subjects, general interest, science, maths

Page Contents
Finite Element methods
Materials
Mathematics
Institutions and Organisations
Directories and Pages of Links
Engineering links
Back to Useful Internet Links Page

Finite Element methods

Aladdin Matrix and Finite Element Environment a computational toolkit for the interactive matrix and finite element analysis of large engineering structures: numerous functions, including matrix arithmetic, structural analysis, and mechanics of finite elements. Source code is available for download after a free registration
SAL- Numerical Analysis - Discrete Methods & Related Tools
ElectroMagnetic Analysis Programs (EMAP)
MGNet is a repository for information related to multigrid, multilevel, multiscale, aggregation, defect correction, and domain decomposition
methods." In short, the material offered on the site is mainly used to solve partial differential equations
MGNet Codes

Materials

Index of Plastics Tradenames contains hundreds of plastics related product tradenames
SOLV-DB online solvent database, browse by solvent name, chemical formula, synonym etc. Provide a list of physical properties such as
specific gravity and boiling point, as well as links to regulatory data, environmental fate data, and health and safety data.
TOXNET (Toxicology Data Network) a collection of databases covering toxicology, hazardous chemicals and related topics. At the site, users may access a range of information from toxicology data, to toxicology literature, toxic release information and basic chemical information
Polymer search 

Mathematics (more Maths links are on the Reference Page)

FFTW (MIT) [tar, zip, pdf, postscript] is a powerful, free "C subroutine library for computing the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) in one or more dimensions, of both real and complex data, and of arbitrary input size.  FFTW can be downloaded directly from this site, along with substantial documentation
Tutorial on Optimization Theory and Difference and Differential Equations  centered on the mathematical aspects of optimization and differential equations
Linear Algebra Toolkit "designed to help a linear algebra student learn and practice a basic linear algebra procedure, such as Gauss-Jordan reduction, calculating the determinant, or checking for linear independence."  divided into four separate categories, namely determinants, vector spaces, linear transformations, and matrix representations of linear systems of equations.
Linear Algebra [.pdf, .zip] An excellent introduction into topics such as vector spaces, linear systems, and determinants, and the author is quite good at defining a consistent notation throughout the book
Mathematics Help Central [.pdf] intended for college-level mathematics students. Ready-to-print graph paper can be downloaded in a variety of grid sizes and layouts
Introduction to Matrix Algebra [.pdf]  also deals with many advanced topics
SOS Mathematics: Differential Equations explains low and high order differential equations, the Laplace transformation, Fourier series, and much more
www.statsoft.com/textbook/stathome.html supporting the use of Statistica software but still of general interest
www.davidmlane.com/hyperstat/index.html explaining many useful statistical techniques and with links to other on-line statistics textbooks
Statistics at Square One  "one of the best selling statistical text books in the UK," has been revised for this online edition. Written from a medical statistics perspective but it can be used by anyone to learn the fundamentals of statistics
StatPrimer, Version 5.2 [.pdf] covers many universal statistics concepts, but applies them to data sets and examples involving biology. Anyone wanting to learn about hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, regression, and several other statistical topics will find this site a valuable resource
University of California MATLAB Help Desk [.pdf] extensive documentation and guides to assist users. Several online manuals, which describe everything from basic usage to graphics and built-in toolboxes, can be downloaded. Documentation is also available for writing programs in C and Fortran to interact with MATLAB. A handy search tool allows users to enter a function name and receive information about its syntax and usage. 
High Precision Complex Calculator v1.0 [374k] W9x/2k/XP FREE Many standard functions such as trigonometric, hyperbolic, and logarithmic are included. Loops are supported. Both expressions and results can be saved to a file. Also accepts FORTRAN syntax
Concepts and Applications of Inferential Statistics online statistics textbook. 17 chapters from beginning concepts to what would likely be covered in a second or intermediate course in statistics
Bridging the Vector Calculus Gap [.pdf, .tex] - between the way vector calculus is usually taught by mathematicians and the way it is used by other scientists
Slide Rule v1.0 [2.1M] W9x/2k/XP FREE switch between four different makes of slide rules from Picket to Faber-Castell. You can also turn on and off the body and slide front
Java Applets for Visualization of Statistical Concepts over 30 Java applets - four main categories of material are basic concepts, statistical tests, regressions, and anova - both continuous and discrete distributions and analysis
eqndb online search for equations (primarily from college and semiconductor physics) by keyword and/or symbol, eventually rendering a list of related items. Once an item is chosen, the page shows the equation, describes each symbol, sites a reference, and allows users to add it to their "myeqndb" account
Plus Magazine: an internet magazine which aims to introduce readers to the beauty and the practical applications of mathematics all the back issues are kept in an online archive
Is pi random? a new formula for pi  permits one to calculate the n-th binary or hexadecimal digits of pi, without having to calculate any of the preceding n-1 digits
Harvey Mudd College Mathematics Online Tutorial [.pdf] includes over 40 tutorials that address methods and theorems in precalculus, single and multi variable calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations.
pLab: A Server on the Theory and Practice of Random Number Generation
Curious and Useful Math a collection of many mathematical curiosities, some of which are useful, but most are simply interesting tidbits to amaze and perplex others. Many of the items will make readers wonder, "How in the world is that possible?" Fortunately, the author provides explanations.
Mathematics Encyclopedia (PRIME) is an impressive collection of mathematical terms and concepts
Interactive Mathematics Miscellany and Puzzles to help people "learn, if not math itself, then, at least, ways to appreciate its beauty
Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations:  probably best used as a supplement to a differential equations course, since the most useful resource is the online textbook. This begins with an introduction to ordinary and partial differential equations, and then goes into more complicated topics, such as finite differences, Fourier Transforms, and Lagrangian methods. There is also a Java applet that performs many functions related to differential equations. To access the video lectures, registration and payment are required; however, the textbook can be freely viewed online or downloaded as an Acrobat file.
TILU Table of Integrals Look Up Text books usually offer some sort of table defining a few of the common integrals, but they are often too short and poorly arranged. This useful site puts an end to mindless searching through print versions of integral tables. Simply input an integral, and the result is displayed in seconds
Journal of Graph Algorithms and Applications  Almost any discipline requires some sort of graphical representation, and specific uses of graph algorithms in various fields are addressed in this journal.
The Electronic Journal of Combinatorics [.pdf, .ps] free electronic journal proofs, algorithms, and other issues related to the combinatorial theory. There is also a section with numerous combinatorics surveys; these are less technical and provide a good background on various topics, such as combinatorial games and Venn diagrams
MuPAD Research Group a tool for general purpose numerical and symbolicalgebra computations. The latest version can be downloaded from this site, and a free license can be obtained if the software is registered and used for non- profit personal, educational, or research purposes. Some of MuPAD's special features include "object oriented programming and user definable data types," dynamic modules, and a source code debugger. 
The Mathematical Atlas a very large collection of articles about aspects of mathematics at and above the university level, but (usually) not at the level of current research, mainly geared toward modern mathematics, and there are currently 97 different areas covered. Each article gives a basic introduction to the subject, applications and related fields, and selected topics. There are also many references to resources
Online Algebra Textbooks [pdf]  graduate level textbooks. An introduction to abstract algebra. Algebraic number theory.
Maths Online an interactive multimedia learning environment for high school and college level mathematics students and teachers
"Algebraic Topology" Published in 2002, Allen Hatcher offers a link to download his book in its entirety 
Elements of Abstract and Linear Algebra by Dr. Edwin Connell,  Published in December 2001, can be obtained free of charge from this Web site
Introduction to Matlab A good introduction to Matlab is given through a math department Web site at the University of Queensland. The tutorial starts by explaining basic functions, such as arithmetic and complex number calculations. Then, it progresses to two and three dimensional plots and matrix notations. The site presents the material very well; a table of contents allows readers to quickly jump between sections for easy reference. The introduction can also be downloaded in postscript or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format to view offline.
Wolfram Research's Mathematical Functions  over 37,000 formulas. Documents explaining general identities and notations used on the site are also available; however, users must sign the guestbook before they can be viewed
Vectorland: An Introduction to 3D Vector Analysis covers many topics, like dot and cross products, vector equations of lines and planes, shortest distance calculations, and parametric curves
The KnotPlot Site [.mpeg] looks at the mathematical side of knots and the theory behind them. There are many categories of knots to explore, with hundreds of pictures of some very perplexing twists and tangles. The pictures were created with the KnotPlot software, which can be downloaded from a link on the site's home page
Intro to statistics  
Macaulay 2 Home Page [.tar, .gz] a powerful software tool that supports "research in algebraic geometry and commutative algebra." 

Institutions and Organisations

Professional Development - How 2 set up by 5 UK engineering institutions. It has been written in such a way that the information and suggestions are appropriate no matter which institution you belong to, or whether you are working towards professional recognition or just for your own needs.
Engineering and Technology board (Part of the former engineering council) --  promotion of engineering --  professional registration  
The Engineers Forum on Sustainability [pdf] founded to "help promote the principles and practice of sustainability."
Copper Data Center Database literature on copper, copper alloys and copper technology dating back to 1965 
The UK MOD defence standards home page has many useful links to defence and national standards and industry links UK Defence standards are free to download (as are the US MIL standards from the site at Columbus, Ohio)
Science Portal The Australian governmental Web site links from all of Australia's research and research-related organization Web sites. The portal can be searched or browsed by various research topics
DARPA Fact File: A Compendium of DARPA Programs [.pdf] details the efforts being made to minimize threats and ensure US national security, development of new technologies and advanced systems and investigations into "high-risk, high-payoff technologies. There are numerous references to the war on terrorism that describe DARPA's involvement and specific projects to defend against terrorist acts
The Center for Networking and Distributed Systems Many of the center's research projects are described, which are investigating areas such as distributed clustering and metacomputing. There is also specialized software that can be downloaded free of charge under certain conditions.
ETH Zurich - Homepage  
Bletchley Park Computer museum and another link to it 
SciTechResources.gov easy access to US government resources related to science and technology
Grenoble High Magnetic Field Laboratory 
Los Alamos National Laboratory 
Institute of physics - contains their buyers guide
IEC Download and Resource Area (English)  
National Resource for Global Standards--ANSI S earchable interface to bibliographic information about more than 225,000 approved standards
FreePatentsOnline.com provides fast, free patent searching, with powerful features such as PDF downloading, search management functions, collaborative document folders, and more.
IBM etc patent search  
IBM Patent Server Web Site It is free and allows you to search for US Patents from 1971 to the present. You can search by keyword, author etc. etc. and you can usually call up an scanned image of the patent complete with diagrams
US Patent Full Text Database 
US patent search  
Institute of Physics now has the tables of contents plus abstracts from  many of its journals on-line
UK Science City - linking universities and industry + various value added services

Directories and pages of links

Ensys, a US engineering training provider is developing a comprehensive international directory of engineering sites
Project management and general business links from the Trioform project management software site
Eureka's new website for engineering products and services has a database of over 12,000 suppliers with data for more than 100,000 products and services for UK manufacturing.  You can search and select by product category, company name, brand name and technical attributes.  There is also a daily news service and an extensive technical reference library section that will grow on a continuous basis.
To Science Databases global link to on-line resources which include news feeds, archives, libraries, research databases, catalogs, and statistical data." The Science category page contains databases organized into twenty-two subjects that include astronomy, chemistry, energy, geography, geology, oceanography, and physics. A science Web site link is also provided, as well as pages to non-physical science databases and sites
SciNet Science Search  Science, Engineering, and Medical Search Engine and Directory
PSIgate (Physical Sciences Information Gateway) resources focused on astronomy, chemistry, earth sciences, physics, history of science, and more.
Globalspec  A comprehensive engineering parts finding service offering free access to their database of products, vendors, and specifications
Thomas register of European manufacturers
The Scientific Web under each discipline heading is a hyperlinked list of software packages. Click on the software package name, and you are taken to a page displaying the product maker, system requirements, data and graphics format, and a one- or two-paragraph description also links to demos
Popular Science_ 50 Best of the Web ten categories, including visual science, science learning, the universe, and high technology
Global manufacturing database
Global Manufacturing Network: How to Join
Edinburgh Engineering Virtual Library
Scientific and technical sites list
 
 

Engineering links (more Science links are on the Reference Page)

Lunchtime learing on FMEA, reliability, six sigma, Weibull Analysis
Wolfbane Cybernetic Home Page - Scientific, Technical and Medical Research, Design, Systems and Services into the Future and a very handy Digital Terrestrial TV reception and path cross-section calculator
Open Source and Free Project Management Tools are listed on this useful site
Heat Transfer Textbook  introductory engineering textbook on heat and mass transfer online without charge
Mechanical Engineering reference site includes various tables and reference documents and links to a wide variety of other web sites associated with Mechanical Engineering.
The Expert System for Thermodynamics [Java] concepts covered at the site include Exergy Analyses, Open Processes, and Combustions in Closed Chambers. Students and educators can then view the Slide Show to receive a preface to the problem solving atmosphere
Claire's free Safety Sign Builder a free online application that automatically makes safety signs in PDF format. Creates US style ANSI- or OSHA-compliant safety signs -- do not enter, no smoking, poison, etc.
ElsevierEngineering 7 gateways covering different engineering subject areas." Specialized sections devoted to civil, electrical, mechanical, and other engineering disciplines are available. The site serves as an excellent starting point for subject-specific research, as well as a source for news and conferences. Most of the site's features are available to registered members; although registration is free, it takes a couple minutes to complete.
Best Mechanics [Flash] covers statics, dynamics, and mechanics of materials
The Wavelet Tutorial: The Engineer's Ultimate Guide to Wavelet Analysis starts with a firm overview of the basics and then gradually moves on to subsequent topics of time and frequency domain analysis. The relationship of wavelets to a similar concept, the Fourier transform, is discussed
ENGnetBASE: The Mechatronics Handbook [.pdf]  "possibly the best, most comprehensive online resource dealing with mechatronics"
Useful Science and Engineering E-Books  mechanical and electrical engineering, mathematics, software, and other pure sciences. Some of the titles are in-depth analyses spanning 500 pages, while others are short introductions less than 50 pages
Metric Conversion Factors area, force, hard conversions for construction materials, length, mass, pavement, pipe, plate, power, pressure or stress, reinforcing steel, sheet metal, sieve, symbols, temperature, volume, and several others
Plumbing Systems  physics provides information on fluid statics, fluid dynamics, the chemistry of PVC pipe, fluid statics and dynamics in the laboratory, modeling pipe systems, and more. 
Grant Prideco: Engineering Toolkit  contains nearly 100 equation solvers. Most are related to civil engineering and calculate effects due to pressure, parameters for pipe threading, and more
Engineering Tips - engineering self help forum
Fuel Cells Today diverse range of materials about fuel cell technology and  information on different types of fuel cells, their applications, history of their development, possible materials to use in their design, and more
GrayLit Network   a portal for technical report information generated through federally funded research and development projects. Searches can take place within any combination of the five databases, which include the Defense Technical Information Center Report Collection, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab Reports, DOE Information Bridge Report Collection, NASA Langley Technical Reports, and the EPA National Environmental Publications Internet Site
NIST Data Gateway scientific and technical data that cover a broad range of substances and properties from many different scientific discipline
Engineering Media Lab resource for engineering students taking introductory courses in statics or dynamics.  Online books and lectures guide users through concepts such as three-dimensional motion, friction, and vibration
The Engineering Web (GlobalSpec)makes it faster and easier for you to research topics, products, and services
by limiting your search to technical and engineering-related Web sites, including standards, patents, part numbers, material properties and application notes.
The Engineer's Toolbox - allows you to calculate bending in beams, compressions in columns, etc - also has a database of material properties
Engineer's Edge: Solutions by Design contains a wide variety of engineering, design, and manufacturing information mostly in the form of online calculators and equation charts, other resources such as drill sizes, gauge charts and material properties are also available
Machine Tool Technology  the Virtual Machine Shop is a great place to learn about machining tools and practices. The online demonstrations show how to properly use devices like milling machines and engine lathes in different configurations and with various attachments
Engineering Statistics Handbook [Dataplot]  massive resource for applied statistics methods and probability. The online publication covers a wide range of topics, Some of the handbook uses a software tool called Dataplot, which is a free, multi-platform scientific visualization system that can be downloaded directly from NIST.
Operations research lecture notes  The bulk of the material is divided into deterministic and stochastic topics. Since OR is such a broad subject, there are several seemingly unrelated issues that are examined in the context of OR. The tutorials section has a few practice problems for people to test their understanding, and the solutions are provided.
Sterling Engine - animations which demonstrates the principle plus commercial CHP units
Oxford University:Chemical and Other Safety Information  general information about the potential hazards of chemicals,over 5,000 chemicals are profiled 
engAPPLETS:  JAVA applets fall into three main categories: statics, dynamics, and fluid dynamics. 
An amazing personal site specifically for some of its links relating to cosmology 
Cambridge Relativity [Quicktime] black holes, the big bang, cosmic strings, and quantum gravity
The Oxford Virtual Science Walk explores some of the most important and interesting historic scientific sites in Oxford
Aerodynamics for Students [.xls, .m, .f, .zip] an online aerodynamics textbook for college students includes fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, gasdynamics, aircraft performance, and propulsion. There are MATLAB, Excel, and FORTRAN files and data sheets that accompany the reading
About MEMS Technology provides a good introduction to MEMS, how they are built, and how they operate. The most descriptive section is The Beginner's Guide to MEMS Processing, which explains the processes of deposition, lithography, and etching. 
The Universal Troubleshooting Proces is an abbreviated version of the book Troubleshooting Techniques of the Successful Technologist by Steve Litt. UTP consists of ten steps designed to help modern workers diagnose the system in question and ultimately repair it. The process is very general and can be applied to virtually any well-defined system. Each step of the process is carefully outlined and can be easily followed
The Long Now Foundation  Danny Hillis envisions a 10,000-year clock, one that will put current perceptions of the future into a different perspective
Molecular Weight Calculator v6.12 [2.1M] W9x/2k/XP FREE contains a formula finder and amino acid notation converter among other tools
Waterjet Web Reference offers a thorough introduction to waterjets, describing how they work and what they can do. Comparisons are made to conventional machining processes, and the advantages of waterjets are outlined. Other sections of the site include an Engineer's Guide, a video gallery of waterjets in action, free software related to abrasive-jet machining, and frequently asked questions.
Engineer On A Disk  great resource for any undergraduate engineering student studying for a fundamentals exam. The site spans nearly every engineering discipline, topics include circuits, materials, computer programming and hardware, mechanical device design, mechatronics, quality control, manufacturing processes, and general reference
FreeCalc.com: Online Applications for Engineering Design. Over fifteen engineering design applications can be used freely online; to be able to save your work and get further benefits, a subscription is required. Categories include general engineering, liquid and gas flow, fans and HVAC, pumps, heat transfer, vessels and tanks, and civil and structural engineering
Design inSite  to inspire designers to consider materials and processes which are new or unknown to them with an impressive set of cross-listed databases that consist of products, materials, and manufacturing processes. The power of the site is apparent from the interconnectivity of these three databases
Online units conversion website 
AAAdvanced Engineering Concepts      
Micrologic Acronym Dictionary of Communications Terms - an 87 page long Adobe PDF file
Nanotechnology Database  is a source of online information on major research centres, funding agencies, major reports, and books 
The Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Investor
OpenDX open source visualization software based on IBM's Visualization Explorer download program, read about the program and its applications
Sketches of a History of Classical Electromagnetism (Optics, Magnetism, Electricity, Electromagnetism)  featuring a timeline of events 
Engineering Weather Data Products Weather data arranged by locality are accessible at this searchable database 
Transatlantic Cable Comunications explores the history of telegraphy, the cable's social  impact, science of telegraphy and some key inventions.
Scientists Close in on Elusive Particle" http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_913000/913637.stm
Higgs Boson on the Horizon" http://physicsweb.org/article/news/4/9/2/1
Help solve a mystery of molecular biophysics by volunteering your computer's "free time" to a distributed computing project
Cleaning Up the Nuclear Weapons Complex: Internet Resources
Traffic Waves: Physics for Bored Commuters
The Civil Engineer's Mega Bookmark boasts links to over 1,000 online resources of interest to civil engineers
Physics2000 Table of Contents
Butler Group ITXplorer.com -- Providing Researched Information for IT Professionals 
Welcome to EEVL - the internet guide to engineering
AVEL - Australasian Virtual Engineering Library
Electronic Repair Tips
Reviews of Modern Physics
Tessella s/w reports
Water software
Program to calculate ventilation components
EDN Access Registration Form...
Industry Net Shareware Library
Industry Net Shareware Library Packet and Amateur Radio

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Copyright Bob Anderson
22 August 2007