Page 17 - Handbook of Civil Engineering Calculations, Second Edition

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Units Used. In preparing the calculation procedures in this handbook, the editors and contributors used
standard SI units throughout. In a few cases, however, certain units are still in a state of development. For
example, the unit tonne is used in certain industries, such as waste treatment. This unit is therefore used in the
waste treatment section of this handbook because it represents current practice. However, only a few SI units
are still under development. Hence, users of this handbook face little difficulty from this situation.
Computer-aided Calculations. Widespread availability of programmable pocket calculators and low-cost
laptop computers allows engineers and designers to save thousands of hours of calculation time. Yet each
calculation procedure must be programmed, unless the engineer is willing to use off-the-shelf software. The
editor—observing thousands of engineers over the years—detects reluctance among technical personnel to use
untested and unproven software programs in their daily calculations. Hence, the tested and proven procedures
in this handbook form excellent programming input for programmable pocket calculators, laptop computers,
minicomputers, and mainframes.
A variety of software application programs can be used to put the procedures in this handbook on a
computer. Typical of these are MathSoft, Algor, and similar programs.
There are a number of advantages for the engineer who programs his or her own calculation procedures,
namely: (1) The engineer knows, understands, and approves every step in the procedure; (2) there are no
questionable, unknown, or legally worrisome steps in the procedure; (3) the engineer has complete faith in the
result because he or she knows every component of it; and (4) if a variation of the procedure is desired, it is
relatively easy for the engineer to make the needed changes in the program, using this handbook as the source
of the steps and equations to apply.
Modern computer equipment provides greater speed and accuracy for almost all complex design
calculations. The editor hopes that engineers throughout the world will make greater use of available
computing equipment in solving applied engineering problems. Becoming computer literate is a necessity for
every engineer, no matter which field he or she chooses as a specialty. The procedures in this handbook
simplify every engineer’s task of becoming computer literate because the steps given comprise—to a great
extent—the steps in the computer program that can be written.