ABSTRACT
The goal of this chapter is to present an overview of solid mechanics to an audience that is expert in another ™eld, primarily biology. In the formation of interdisciplinary research teams, it is important that everyone learn some of the “other” ™eld-but the tendency is to try to prescribe a complete education. For mechanics, this would be to suggest that other team members complete the statics, solids, dynamics, continuum sequence, as well as the prerequisite math courses for each. This is not a realistic solution, and takes no advantage of the fact that the “students” are experts in their own ™eld; they are independently good at seeing parallels, asking good questions, and analyzing new and unexpected results. With respect to mechanics, what a nonmechanician needs to know is
1.1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................................3 1.2 Mechanics: A Broad De™nition ................................................................................................4
