This book tackles the question, How can an engineer with a powerful finite element program but modest background knowledge of mechanics solve unfamiliar problems? Engineering educators will find this book to be a new and exciting approach to helping students engage with complex ideas. Practicing engineers who use finite element methods to solve problems in solids and structures will extend the range of problems they can solve as well as accelerate their learning on new problems. This book's special strengths include: - A thoroughly modern approach to learning and understanding mechanics problems - Comprehensive coverage of a large collection of problems ranging from static to dynamic and from linear to nonlinear, applied to a variety of structures and components - Accompanying software that is sophisticated and versatile and is available for free from the book's Web site - Ability to complement any standard finite element textbook