It is interesting to note that graphical position analysis of linkages is a truly trivial exercise, while the algebraic approach to position analysis is much more complicated. If you can draw the linkage to scale, you have then solved the position analysis problem graphically. It only remains to measure the link angles on the scale drawing to protrac-tor accuracy. But, the converse is true for velocity and especially for acceleration anal-ysis. Analytical solutions for these are less complicated to derive than is the analytical position solution. However, graphical velocity and acceleration analysis becomes quite complex and difficult. Moreover, the graphical vector diagrams must be redone de novo (meaning literally from new) for each of the linkage positions of interest. This is a very tedious exercise and was the only practical method available in the days B.c. (Before Computer), not so long ago. The proliferation of inexpensive microcomputers in recent years has truly revolutionized the practice of engineering. As a graduate engineer, you will never be far from a computer of sufficient power to solve this type of problem and may even have one in your pocket. Thus, in this text we will emphasize analytical solu-tions which are easily solved with a microcomputer. The computer programs provided with this text use the same analytical techniques as derived in the text.