Book excerpt: The book illustrates the use of simple maths-based analytic techniques in basic structural mechanics. It focuses on the identification of the physical background of the theories and their particular mathematical properties. And on the demonstration of mathematical techniques for analysis of simple problems in structural mechanics. The author also looks at the derivation of the solutions to a number of basic problems of structural mechanics in a form suitable for later reference. The presentation concentrates on the main principles and the characteristics of the solutions. The theory also serves as a basis for the formulation of numerical models and for intelligent interpretation of their results.