Gain insights into using Python for mechanical and aerospace engineering. Learn about basics, graphing techniques, airfoil plotting, and dynamic pressure and orbital modeling in 2D and 3D.

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In this course, you will learn about the Python programming language in the context of mechanical and aerospace engineering. 

You will start with the basics of Python, like variables, collections, and different types of loops. Once you have the basics out of the way, the real fun begins. You will learn how to: graph thrust available and thrust required, graph dynamic pressure during a rocket launch, and how to plot airfoil coordinates. 

Towards the end, you will get a strong overview of orbital parameters and learn how to model both 2D and 3D static orbits. Once you’ve completed this course, you will have a better understanding of Python and how it works in the context of mechanical/aerospace engineering.

Python for Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

These are the libraries that you will be using.

```python
import tkinter as tk
import numpy as np
from PIL import Image, ImageTk
```

# Getting set up

This program will use conic sections to compute the ellipses that will represent the propellers. Here is a very high-level mathematical explanation: the absolute value of a complex plane in the third dimension is a cone. Slicing the cone in planes parallel to the x-y plane results in a circle. Anything from the circle down to the Z = 0 plane is a disk. Adding multiple cones offset from the origin results in a solid ellipse, and moving the location of the ellipse around the origin X amount of times results in X number of blades in a propeller. Conic sections continue to haunt you, and this time, they are *complex*! This program glosses over some difficult topics like representing a two-dimensional array with one variable with `Numpy`, creating geometric shapes from simple expressions of complex numbers, and using addition and multiplication to translate the geometric shapes.

First, you need to get `Tkinter` configured. You will create a `Tk` instance that is the base Tkinter instance, get the “stage” ready that is where the image goes and set the stage height and number of propeller blades.

```python
root = tk.Tk()
stage = tk.Label(root)
stage.pack()
height = 300
num_propeller_blades = 4
```

# Spinning the propeller

The next snippet creates a meshgrid that returns a three-dimensional array; this array helps you to create the 3D plane that will create the spinning propeller. You also establish the bent propeller image from the complex plane that will start out blank (`zeros`) and eventually be filled in when the line overlaps the spinning propeller.

```python
x, y = np.ogrid[-height/2: height/2, -height/2: height/2]
plane = x - 1j * y
bentprop = np.zeros_like(plane, dtype=np.bool)
```

You can learn more about `ogrid()` here [2]. The `- 1 j` means the propeller will spin clockwise; change it to `+ 1 j` for counter-clockwise rotation. For each “row” in your frame height (300 pixels), you need to sweep the shutter down one pixel, create the propeller blades, rotate the propeller blades, and “remember” where the shutter line touched the spinning propeller blade.



Developing the camera shutter effect program with Numpy and Tkinter.

Getting Comfortable with Python

FizzBuzz

Graphing Thrust Available and Thrust Required

Graphing Dynamic Pressure During a Rocket Launch

Getting and Plotting Airfoil Coordinates

Modeling a 2-Body Orbit in 2D and 3D

Unit Conversions

Introduction to Web Scraping

Modeling Camera Shutter Effect

Writing Reports with Pweave

The End

Showing Camera Shutter Effect

Getting set up