ME 211 – Statics
Revised 14 August 2009

Daily schedule:  It is your responsibility to prepare for class by reading the assigned material and making an attempt to do the associated homework PRIOR TO COMING TO CLASS.  So, for example, for class the 20th of July, you should read section 4/6 in the book before coming to class and try to do problems 4: 45, 46, 48, 49 prior to coming to class.  Problems that you encounter with the homework should be brought to class and asked about as time permits.

Homework due dates:  Homework for each week is due the following Monday at the first of class.

A note about homework and its rôle in learning the course material:

There is no shortcut method for learning Statics.  If there were, we'd be taking it.  This is a fundamental course in many branches of engineering.  So it pays to learn the material well.  My own personal experience is that if one takes the trouble of learning the material well, the material that follows that depends on a knowledge of Statics will come very easily.  Since so many later subjects depend on Statics for their development, if you finish the course with only a shaky understanding of the topic, then you will struggle with the many other follow-on topics that depend on Statics for their understanding.  

To learn Statics you need to work as many problems as possible.  You need to work these problems individually, not in a group and not using aids such as the solutions manual.  It is easy, working in a group or working with the solutions manual handy, to convince yourself that you know how to work a certain problem.  But when you try to work the problem alone, you find that there is some step that you do not understand or have forgotten.  You need to confront each problem alone and make sure you can solve it without the help of others or with the aid of the solutions manual.

Working in groups and working with the solutions is useful.  But first you should try to work through problems on your own, without referring to the solutions manual.  There is a direct correlation between time you spend at problem solving and the understanding of the topic that you take away with you from the course.  In short, the more time you spend beating your head up against the wall in this course, the better you will understand it in the end and the better your grade will be in the course.

Homework format:

The homework should be done clearly and neatly.  You do not need to recopy the problem onto the paper.  But you should clearly state what is given and then what you are looking for.  Of course, if you need a Free Body Diagram, it should be clear too.  Include a coordinate system on every problem where appropriate (that is almost every problem).  Do not jam your work into some crammed space.  You do not get extra credit for using less space.  In fact, crowding work together reduces its readability and checkability.  Checkability is one of the most crucial characteristics to look out for.  Make your work easy to review and check.

Do not just copy solutions-manual solutions to your paper and turn them in.  In fact, this constitutes plagarism because you are turning in someone else's work as your own.  There are severe university penalties for this, including being turned in to the university ethics board.

You do not need to use engineering graph paper.  And you do not need to start every problem on a new page.  But do not do homework on both sides of the paper.  (If you already have done this, we'll let it slide for the first homework.)  Please staple all your solutions together and put your name, class (ME 211 or 212), and section number on the front sheet in the upper right-hand corner.  Don't fold the homework. 

Course objectives:

1.  A thorough knowledge of the properties of forces, moments, couples, and resultants.
2.  Ability to apply these concepts to the isolation of rigid bodies and to the solution of engineering problems involving equilibrium.
3.  Ability to analyze the effect of distributed force systems including the calculation of centroids and moments of inertia.
4.  Ability to anaylze the effect of dry friction in typical engineering problems.

A significant introduction to the formulation and solution of engineering problems.  Effectively communicate legible problem solutions to be understood by engineers in and out of their specific discipline.

Office hours:  See www.calpoly.edu/~fowen/officehours.html

Grading: