fundamental engineering concepts through a course in statics. Statics problems usually require the student to draw planar truss and other free-body diagrams (FBDs). In civil and mechanical engineering, visual and spatial thoughts are essential for the correct absorption of fundamental concepts. By relying on visual aids as opposed to only using the verbal channel of acquiring knowledge, the cog...

The paper describes a project to develop software and teaching methods which employ real-time non-linear dynamic structural simulation in topics ranging from introductory statics to advanced steel design and earthquake engineering. The software is called Arcade and its computation method is based on a physics engine, a method which has been widely applied in computer games. The physics engine a...

The purpose of this work is the development and determination higher-order continuum-like kinematic measures which characterize discrete data obtained from experimental measurement (e.g., digital image correlation) or results modeling simulation molecular statics, dynamics, quantum DFT). From a continuum point view, such are in general non-affine incompatible, due for example to shear banding, ...

Porto, the institutional repository of the Politecnico di Torino, is provided by the University Library and the IT-Services. The aim is to enable open access to all the world. Please share with us how this access benefits you. Your story matters. The human hand is an extremely complex system due to its large number of degrees of freedom (DoF) within a significantly reduced space. Moreover, it i...

In this paper we study the effects of a change in an exogenous variable (the fixed cost or a parameter in the demand function) on the output and the number of active firms in a Symmetric Cournot Equilibrium with Free Entry (SCEFE). The results obtained here are different from those obtained in the Cournot model with a given number of firms. In particular, an increase in demand might yield a dec...

For Dr. Martin Harwit, whose course on information theory rst exposed me to the concept of entropy. 1. Introduction In this paper, I study \entropy" as a quantity deened axiomatically by certain formal properties, independently of any particular mathematical context. In particular , unlike all previous attempts to axiomatize information theory which are known to me, the concept of probability w...

Given the price of a call or put option, the Black-Scholes implied volatility is the unique volatility parameter for which the Bulack-Scholes formula recovers the option price. This article surveys research activity relating to three theoretical questions: First, does implied volatility admit a probabilistic interpretation? Second, how does implied volatility behave as a function of strike and ...