Designing Physics Problems with <i>Mathematica</i>

Abstract

We envision utilizing the versatility of a Computer Algebra System, specifi cally <i>Mathematica</i> to explore designing physics problems. As a focused project, we consider for instance a thermo-mechanical-physics problem showing its development from the ground up. Following the objectives of this investiga tion first by applying the fundamentals of physics principles we solve the problem symbolically. Applying the solution we investigate the sensitivities of the quantities of interest for various scenarios generating feasible numeric parameters. Although a physics problem is investigated, the proposed methodology may as well be applied to other scientific fields. The codes needed for this particular project are included enabling the interested reader to duplicate the results, extend and modify them as needed to explore various extended scenarios.