Course syllabus for Mechanics

The course syllabus contains changes
See changes

Course syllabus adopted 2021-02-17 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameMekanik
  • CodeFFM333
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerTKKEF
  • Education cycleFirst-cycle
  • Main field of studyChemical Engineering with Engineering Physics, Engineering Physics
  • DepartmentMICROTECHNOLOGY AND NANOSCIENCE
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language Swedish
  • Application code 54121
  • Maximum participants60
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0121 Take-home examination 4.5 c
Grading: TH		0 c0 c2 c2.5 c0 c0 c
0221 Project, part A 1.5 c
Grading: UG		0 c0 c1 c0.5 c0 c0 c
0321 Project, part B 1.5 c
Grading: UG		0 c0 c0 c1.5 c0 c0 c

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for bachelor's level (first cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

The same as for the programme that owns the course.
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites

The course presupposes that the students possess certain basic skills in mathematics, for instance, trigonometry and vector operations at the gymnasium level.

Aim

The course has three main objectives: Provide a good understanding of the basic concepts of mechanics, which is a necessary basis for all further physics studies. Develop the ability of translating a physical problem into a mathematical model and analyzing this by applying knowledge from mathematics courses. Training presenting the calculations and the reasoning behind them both orally and in writing in a way that is structured and easy to understand.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

  • Appreciate the role of mechanics in the natural sciences.
  • Apply algebra and trigonometry in order to analyze and simplify systems of forces and torques on a rigid body.
  • Determine the conditions of equilibrium for composite systems.
  • Use the special characteristics of the frictional force in problems of equilibrium, impending motion or motion.
  • Compute the center of mass of composite objects.
  • Use the most common coordinate systems to describe the motion of particles.
  • Analyze and predict the motion of particles and apply laws of conservation of energy, momentum and angular momentum.
  • Analyze simple examples of 2D rigid body dynamics.
  • Apply their knowledge from mathematics on the free/damped/forced oscillator in various examples.

Content

  • Introduction
  • Force systems
  • Equilibrium
  • Center of mass
  • Friction
  • Kinematics of particles
  • Kinetics of particles
  • Oscillatory motion
  • Dynamics of systems of particles
  • Basic concepts av motion of rigid bodies in 2 dimensions

Organisation

The course uses the "flipped classroom" method, i.e. the homework consists in following video recordings on the theory part, while the classroom time is devoted to exercises.

The course includes  a small numerical project to be solved using Matlab (project A) and an essay (project B). The essay and project report shall be written in LaTeX. Help on the use of such program shall be provided.

Literature

Ragnar Grahn och Per-Åke Jansson, Mekanik, Studentlitteratur, Edition 4.1 (2018)

Examination including compulsory elements

All learning outcomes above are assessed through three home exams. They focus on one part of the course at the time. Each home exam has a maximum score of 6. To get a pass you need to accumulate a minimum of 12 points in the three home exams.  

Completing  the matlab-project (project A) and the essay (project B) is obligatory for a pass and counted towards the final grade on the course. To get a pass in the course the student needs to achieve a minimum of 2 out of 6 possible points in each project.

In addition to these graded elements the students are to solve a set of mandatory problems in Open TA.

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.

The course syllabus contains changes

  • Changes to course rounds:
    • 2021-09-23: Examinator Examinator Serguei Cherednichenko (serguei) added by Viceprefekt
      [Course round 1]