How Computers will influence Engineering
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 July 2016
The up-to-date engineer or scientist would not challenge the growing importance of the modern large-scale digital computer in research and development. Yet, while we all agree that computers are important and useful, we disagree from one discipline to another and often within the same discipline on just what the computer contributes or can possibly contribute to research and development endeavours. The difference in approach to computer usage is more one of philosophy than of technique. Indications are given from our recent work that some philosophies of computer utilisation may be more fruitful than others. The availability of the large-scale digital computer has not only facilitated, but directly inspired and shaped the matrix methods for analysis of continuous media and structures, both in the linear and non-linear regimes. Without the availability of a modern computer all this work is literally meaningless.