Amalgamates geometric modelling, analysis and optimization, the three important aspects in Computer Aided Engineering Design. This book provides an introductory treatment on linear elastic finite element analysis using basic elements and optimization methods, ranging from root finding single variable to constrained multi-variable approaches.

A new discipline is said to attain maturity when the subject matter takes the shape of a textbook. Several textbooks later, the discipline tends to acquire a firm place in the curriculum for teaching and learning. Computer Aided Engineering Design (CAED), barely three decades old, is interdisciplinary in nature whose boundaries are still expanding. However, it draws its core strength from several acknowledged and diverse areas such as computer graphics, differential geometry, Boolean algebra, computational geometry, topological spaces, numerical analysis, mechanics of solids, engineering...