Application Of Maths In Civil Engineering
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Application Of Maths In Civil Engineering

Ramraj SainiUpdated on 25 Oct 2022, 10:31 AM IST

Do you know which engineering is used most in building a tunnel, a bridge, or a new multi-story building? Why are most bridges constructed in a parabolic form? Parabola is an ideal catenary shape or “U” shape. In view of mathematics, it is defined as a curve formed by a point that is equal in distance from a fixed point and a fixed line.

Application Of Maths In Civil Engineering
Civil Engineering(Image: Shutterstock)

Civil engineering is one of the most important branches of engineering. It is used in creating industrial plants, buildings, and transportation infrastructure like roads, bridges, etc. Nowadays it is often combined with environmental engineering to create sustainable buildings and to protect infrastructure from damage caused by natural disasters.

Civil engineering applies physical science and mathematical principles to develop and design new infrastructure. In structural analysis, the design of multistory buildings, roads, or bridges is analysed under various kinds of forces like wind force, seismic force, fluid force, etc. In the analysis of the type of flow, type of motion of the fluid particles, energy equation, velocity potential, stream function, continuity equation, etc. all are defined by using the application of mathematics.

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Also, mathematics plays a vital role in determining various properties of a structure like an area, centroid, volume, moment of inertia, radius of gyration, etc. of different sections like triangles, rectangles, circles, etc. here in this article we will discuss the application of maths in civil engineering

Maths Concepts That Are Applied In Civil Engineering

Civil engineering deals with real-world problems using the application of mathematical principles like trigonometry, geometry, linear algebra, differential equations, calculus, probability, statistics, etc. These mathematical principles are used to understand the effect of natural disasters on civil infrastructures. Also, the application of mathematics in engineering is used to make these buildings stronger so that they can sustain during natural disasters. Let's discuss the application of mathematics in civil engineering.

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Trigonometry

Trigonometry is a branch of mathematics that studies angles and sides of a triangle. Civil engineers use trigonometry to calculate elevation and angles while constructing a bridge. They also use trigonometry in surveying to deal with land elevations as well as the various angles of structures. Trigonometry is helpful to make a building sun shading and make the best light angle so that less electricity is required during day time.

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Geometry

Geometry, a combination of two words “Geo” and “Metry” which mean "to measure the earth". Geometry involves the analysis of shapes and the relationships among them. Civil engineers must know how to design, develop, and assemble shapes to construct highway systems, buildings, bridges, dams, tunnels, etc. The geometry of those shapes determines their functionality. Most suspended bridges are constructed in a parabolic shape because the stress on cables is most efficiently distributed and thus helps to remain stable against the external force. The parabolic shape ensures that cables sustain the weight of hundreds of cars and trucks. For the shapes used, Civil engineers must have a command to compute mathematical quantities such as lengths, volumes, curvatures, centroids, areas, and moments of inertia. They must be able to determine the spatial relationship among these shapes and use the most efficient shape to create any civil structure.

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Probability and Statistics

Measuring and analysing risk is a key skill in engineering and hence, civil engineers must understand the concepts of statistics and probability to quantify risk and safety in their designs. Understanding statistics is useful for analysis and getting insights into big data. It is also important for hypothesis testing which helps in decision-making during designing an infrastructure.

Calculus

The rate of change of a function is studied using the concepts of calculus. It consists of derivatives and integrals of functions in one, two, and three dimensions. It also includes concepts like surface and volume integrals and partial derivatives. Calculus is useful to calculate heat loss in buildings, structural analysis in seismic design, and forces in complex structural configurations.

Linear Algebra And Differential Equations

Civil engineers should also have command of the concepts of linear algebra and differential equations. Matrix algebra or linear algebra concerns the analysis of solutions to systems of equations, vector spaces, and determinants. Differential equations include topics like first-order differential equations, systems of linear differential equations, and undetermined coefficients. These concepts are useful for civil engineers to create sustainable buildings.

Hope this article helps students understand the application of maths in civil engineering.

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Here's the chronological order of the dates from earliest to latest, placing BCE before CE:

  1. 1900 BCE

  2. 323 BCE

  3. 100 CE

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Here are the dates placed in chronological order on a timeline (from oldest to most recent):

1. 1900 BCE

2. 323 BCE

3. 100 CE

4. 323 CE

5. 1090 CE

6. 2024 CE

Hello Seema,

With a GATE score of 325 in Civil Engineering (CE) and being from the SC category, you have good chances of getting into various reputed institutes. Here's a breakdown of potential options for M.Tech admission:

1. Top NITs (National Institutes of Technology):

  • NIT Delhi : As you're from

Hello ,

I am assuming that you are asking about comparison between both the branches of engineering. See , CE branch is a subset of electrical branch in which you will study about software more. But in electrical branch you have to deal with the networks, power system, software and