EGR 280 - Introduction to Mechanics

Procedures:

• Feel free to download and print the PowerPoint notes for each lecture
• At the end of each lecture, 2-3 problems will be assigned. These problems will be collected at the beginning of next class period, graded, and returned to you.
• There will be a quiz at the end of each class period beginning March 1, 2010. The quizzes can cover any material from the beginning of the mechanics portion through the lecture one week prior to the quiz, that is, the quiz material will not cover the new material from the previous class. Your lowest quiz grade will be dropped. There will be no make-up quizzes.
  
• The quizzes will be heavily based on the homework. If you have done the assigned homework, and understand the procedures for solving problems in mechanics, you should have no problems with the quizzes.
• There are extra resources available if you need more help, different explanations or more problems to practice on.

Laboratory exercises:

1. Print, read and perform the MATLAB exercises in Dr. Haskell's three-part review of vector algebra. Print out a listing of your MATLAB code with your name as a comment at the beginning. Have your lab instructor sign your printout and hand in the listing.
   1. Addition and Subtraction of Vectors (pdf)
   2. Scalar or Dot Product (pdf)
   3. Vector or Cross Product (pdf)
2. Method of Joints using MATLAB (doc)
3. Digital Scale Lab (doc)
4. Static Friction Lab (doc)
5. Numerical Intergration of Acceleration (doc)
   • axtestdata.txt
   • aytestdata.txt
6. Read from accelerometer, send data to MATLAB
   • MATLAB m-file, with instructions and examples
   • MiniDragon C code: main.c

Ethics Readings

• Basic Concepts And Methods In Ethics
  http://ethics.tamu.edu/ethics/essays/basics.htm
• Moral Concepts And Theories
  http://ethics.tamu.edu/ethics/essays/moral.htm
• NSPE Code of Ethics
  http://www.nspe.org/ethics/eh1-code.asp

Project and Presentation Resources and Information:

• Project Planning Form
• Coping with Hitchhikers and Couch Potatoes on Teams
• Peer Evaluation Form
• Final report outline
• Final report review form
• Powerpoint Tips and Techniques

Resources:

• Hibbeler Statics/Dynamics Study Pak
• Using MATLAB for Statics and Dynamics (PDF) by Ron Larsen and Steve Hunt
  • Resolving Forces, Calculating Resultants
  • Dot Products
  • Equilibrium of a Particle, Free-Body Diagrams
  • Cross Products and Moments of Force
  • Moment of a Couple
  • Reduction of a Simple Distributed Loading
  • Equilibrium of a Rigid Body
  • Dry Friction
  • Finding the Centroid of Volume
  • Resultant of a Generalized Distributed Loading
  • Calculating Moments of Inertia
  • Curve-Fitting to Relate s-t, v-t, and a-t Graphs
  • Curvilinear Motion: Rectangular Components
  • Curvilinear Motion, Motion of a Projectile
  • Curvilinear Motion: Normal and Tangential Components
  • Dependent Motion of Two Particles
  • Kinetics of a Particle: Force and Acceleration
  • Equations of Motion: Normal and Tangential Components
  • Principle of Work and Energy
  • Rotation About a Fixed Axis