Mechanics of Material Systems: An Energy Approach
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this introduction to continuum mechanics and material modeling built on energy principles. Topics cover deformation and strain, momentum balance, stress and stress states, elasticity and elasticity bounds, and plasticity and yield design. The course frames all of these within a unified thermodynamic language for understanding, modeling, and designing engineering materials. It is taught at MIT as both an undergraduate course (1.033) and a graduate course (1.57), reflecting a rigorous, quantitative treatment aimed at civil and environmental engineering students. Materials include lecture notes, assignments, and exams typical of MIT OpenCourseWare offerings, made freely available for self-study. No certificate is offered, consistent with the OpenCourseWare model, but the full curriculum structure supports independent learning of continuum mechanics fundamentals.