ABSTRACT
In the numerical solution of engineering problems, there are several important aspects that need to be considered in order to ensure the validity of the chosen approach for a given problem and the accuracy of the results obtained. The computational procedure involves a consideration of the methods available for solving the given problem, the appropriate programming language, the computational environment and software being employed, the computer and its operating system, and so forth, before proceeding to the development of the numerical scheme, or algorithm, and the corresponding program. Since these considerations are fundamental to most computer methods, this chapter discusses the general approach to the development of the computational scheme. Also considered are the interfacing with available computer software and the veri˜cation and validation of the numerical results by a comparison with available analytical and experimental results, as discussed in Chapter 1.
