For introductory mechanical engineering courses using MATLAB. This hands-on approach provides a unique and practical introduction to MATLAB by going beyond simple explanations of commands and demonstrating how to actually program. It is intended to serve two purposes. The first is to present a new toolbox for the most common statics and strength of materials problems. The second is to show, by example, how to create function files to solve generic problems. These function files expand the usability of MATLAB into new areas of study.