Engineering Dynamics 106 (630.106)

The availability of units in Semester 1, 2, full year, etc. was correct at the time of going to press but may be subject to change. For the most up-to-date information click on the Timetable link below.

Credit: 6 points Availability: Semester 2 (See Timetable)

Outcomes: This unit develops a student's ability to solve problems involving relative motion, polar co-ordinates, systems of particles, rigid body dynamics, rotating axes, and kinematics of mechanisms.

Students develop an ability to apply knowledge of basic science and engineering fundamentals; reason logically and communicate the solution to a problem in a way that engineering professionals understand; undertake problem identification, formulation and solution; function effectively as individuals in a group of students working together on the same engineering problem; understand fundamental professional and ethical responsibilities, such as the need to work logically and avoid errors; plan work, anticipate and meet deadlines; and have an expectation of the need to undertake lifelong learning, and a capacity to do so.

Content: This unit builds on Engineering 101 (600.101) and introduces the subject of engineering dynamics in more depth. Students are exposed to the kinetics and kinematics of rigid bodies in planar motion. Energy and momentum principles are also used to analyse systems of connected rigid objects.
Students attend lectures and, in parallel, solve a sequence of carefully designed computer-based tutorial problems. The computer system is diagnostic and can give specific feedback for many common errors. In this way, students can learn the meaning of the concepts presented in the lecture series by applying them to realistic dynamic systems. Some examples are drawn from the exciting fields of robotics and automation.

Assessment: The computer tutorial system marks student answers automatically. Marks are given for accuracy and for completing work before the deadlines. Although each student is marked individually by the computer system, students are encouraged to work with friends provided that each member of a working party achieves competence. Students are required to keep a record of work done on the computer problems, using a log book.

The log book serves as a journal of the development of a student's understanding of dynamics and is also used by staff to guide students into professional habits in written work, for example, the creation of large, clearly labelled diagrams. The log books are also assessed.
A written examination at the end of the unit assesses the ability of individual students to solve new problems and communicate the solutions in written form. The examination usually consists of questions that are similar to the tutorial problems but are also somewhat novel. Marks in the final examination are largely given for correct (and clearly expressed) reasoning about physical systems, with only a small amount of credit for numerical working. Some problems in both the tutorial sequence and the examination are drawn from real-life situations.

Location: UWA (Crawley)

Mode: on-campus

Unit Rules:

Advisable prior study: content of Engineering 101 (600.101) or equivalent

Contact hours—lectures: 39 hrs; tutorials: 39 hrs

Unit Web Page: http://www.mech.uwa.edu.au/courses/ED106/

Recommended Reading

Meriam, J. L. and Kraige, L. G. Engineering Mechanics: Statics, vol. 1, 2nd or 3rd ed., SI (metric) version: John Wiley & Sons

Meriam, J. L. and Kraige, L. G. Engineering Mechanics: Dynamics, vol. 2, 2nd or 3rd ed., SI (metric) version: John Wiley & Sons

These texts are available from the Guild Co-operative Bookshop and Secondhand Bookshop.

Books and other material wherever listed may be subject to change. Book lists relating to 'Preliminary Reading', 'Recommended Reading' and 'Textbooks' are, in most cases, available at the University Co-operative Bookshop (from early January) and appropriate administrative offices for students to consult. For first-year units the Bookshop will endeavour to make available photocopies of book lists for individual units. Books marked with an asterisk (*) are available in paperback.