Engineering Mechanics I (Statics) Syllabus for 2020-2021
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Instructor Information

Office Location

BYRD 352

Office Hours

MW 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM, 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM

TR 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM, and other times by appointment

Students may contact me from 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM via text at (806) 340-0027.

Students may contact me by email through the course in Blackboard (Messages).  If you would like to schedule a set day and time to meet, flexibility in my scheduling is available.  Please do not hesitate to ask for a different time if needed.

Course Information

COVID-19 Protocols

Recording Policy

Disability Statement

If you have a disability (learning, mental, physical) that affects your ability to participate effectively and have access to any program or service at Amarillo College please contact Disability Services at (806) 345-5639 . Our offices are located in the Student Service Center office 112. More information may be found at www.actx.edu/disability.
Disability Services facilitates access to all programs and services according to the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as well as other federal and state laws.

Amarillo College Web Accessibility Policy Statement

Amarillo College is committed to providing equal access to all programs and services, including all working, learning, and service environments that affect equal access for persons with disabilities. This commitment to provide equal access and opportunity for persons with disabilities is in compliance with federal and state law. Amarillo College also strives to provide Electronic and Information Resources (EIR) that are accessible to all authorized users.

If you find you are unable to access material in an accessible format please contact the Disability Services Office at (806) 345-5639 . This office will work in conjunction with other campus resources to address and accommodate your issue in a timely manner.

Statement for Mental Health and Advocacy & Resource Center:

As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc

Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:

The Tutoring for Success policy applies to any student whose grade or performance in the course falls below a departmentally determined minimum threshold. In either of those cases, the instructor will direct the student to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. Under this policy, the instructor will follow specific departmental guidelines governing the use, duration, and grade component of the tutoring need.

Administrative Drop Policy

Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016

Student Withdrawal Procedures

Students who wish to withdraw from a course must complete all steps indicated on the Academic Withdrawal Request form by the course withdrawal deadline.

NOTE: Students who are attending Texas institutions of higher education, for the first time fall 2007 and later, may not withdraw from more than six courses during their academic career. This withdrawal limitation does not include dual credit or developmental classes (Senate Bill 1231 Rule 4.10.) For more information on Drop and Withdrawal Policies, please visit the Registrar's Office Web site.

Privacy Statement

The Amarillo College Privacy Policy is found at https://www.actx.edu/-amarillo-college-privacy-notice , and applies to all Amarillo College students.  If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent, send email to humanresources@actx.edu .

Course

ENGR-2301-001 Engineering Mechanics I (Statics)

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: MATH 2413-minimum grade of C Corequisite: PHYS 2425

Course Description

Basic theory of engineering mechanics, using calculus, involving the description of forces, moments and couples acting on stationary engineering structures; equilibrium in two and three dimensions; free-body diagrams; friction; centroids; centers of gravity; and moments of inertia.

Student ResourcesStudent Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Notice to Students enrolled in an educational program for preparation of issuance of certain occupational licenses:

Students enrolled in an educational program in preparation for obtaining certain occupational licenses are potentially ineligible for such license if the student has been convicted of an offense. For further information, please contact:

Melodie Graves
Justice Involved Advocate
Student Service Center 117
mgraves24@actx.edu
806-371-5995
Make appointment at https://melodiegraves.youcanbook.me

You can also contact the Legal Clinic, or the faculty member in charge of the educational program that you seek to enroll in. The further information you will receive will include notification to you of your right to request a criminal history evaluation letter from the licensing authority in order to clarify your particular situation.

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

On Campus Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Engineering Mechanics: Statics and Dynamics,14th edition (ISBN-10: 0133915425, ISBN-13: 978-0133915426)

Author - R. C. Hibbeler

Publisher - Pearson

Supplies

  • Graphing Calculator
  • Green Engineering Graph Paper
  • Pencil/Eraser
  • Straight Edge (optional)

Student Performance

After completing this course, the student will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the following topics with 70% accuracy as evaluated by the engineering faculty:  

  1. State the fundamental principles used in the study of mechanics.
  2. Define magnitude and directions of forces and moments and identify associated scalar and vector products.
  3. Draw free body diagrams for two- and three-dimensional force systems.
  4. Solve problems using the equations of static equilibrium.
  5. Compute the moment of force about a specified point or line.
  6. Replace a system of forces by an equivalent simplified system.
  7. Analyze the forces and couples acting on a variety of objects.
  8. Determine unknown forces and couples acting on objects in equilibrium.
  9. Analyze simple trusses using the method of joints or the method of sections.
  10. Determine the location of the centroid and the center of mass for a system of discrete particles and for objects of arbitrary shape.
  11. Analyze structures with a distributed load.
  12. Calculate moments of inertia for lines, areas, and volumes.
  13. Apply the parallel axis theorem to compute moments of inertia for composite regions.
  14. Solve problems involving equilibrium of rigid bodies subjected to a system of forces and moments that include friction.
  15. Solve problems involving dry sliding friction, including problems with wedges and belts.

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

Students are expected to behave in the classroom in a manner that is supportive of the learning environment. Behaviors that are not supportive include, but are not limited to: tardiness/leaving early; electronic device noises; texting or using electronic devices for non-course related activities during the lecture; talking during the lecture; abusive, offensive, and/or disrespectful language or demeanor toward AC faculty, staff, students, and/or Amarillo College property.

In order to receive credit for a course, all material listed on the syllabus must be covered. The instructor sets the pace to ensure that these requirements are met. Complaining about the pace will not result in less material being covered.

Students who fail to comply with the standards outlined in the syllabus and/or AC’s Student Rights & Responsibilities document will be subject to disciplinary action which may include, but is not limited to: removal from the classroom; consultation with the Math & Engineering Department Chair and/or other AC authority; withdrawal from the course and/or Amarillo College.

Grading Criteria

The final grades of A (90-100), B (80-89), C (70-79), D (60-69), and F (below 60) will be computed as the average of the earned grades as follows:

Homework/Quizzes – 20%

Learning Activities – 10%

Class Project – 10%

Exams (3) – 45% (15% each)

Final Exam – 15 %

 

 

Homework, Quizzes, and Tests

You will be allowed one drop homework or one drop quiz. The lowest homework/quiz score will not be averaged into your final homework/quiz average. All homework will be due one week from the day it is assigned at 9:00 AM. Makeup homework/quizzes will not be permitted under any circumstances.

**COVID-19 Info:  Homework will be submitted in Blackboard by scanning or photographing the work you have completed by hand and uploading to the assignment dropbox.**

You cannot drop any of the exam grades, but your Final Exam grade will be used to replace your lowest exam grade. Exams will be administered in the Math Testing Center located in Durrett - Suite 103. Exams will be available from Wednesday at 8:00 AM. If you miss two tests, a grade of zero will be given for the test that cannot have the grade replaced. If you are found to have cheated on an exam including helping another student cheat on an exam, you will be given an F for the course.

Absence from an exam will incur a zero unless there is prior notification. Students who miss an exam because of College or business-related activities should notify the instructor before the absence occurs.

****Note  Tests will be administered in the Math Testing Center.  Appointments are required.  For more information, please visit: https://www.actx.edu/math/math-testing-center

Grading of Tests: In complex problem analyses, such as those used in this course, there are many opportunities for errors. Thus, exams will be graded using "partial credit" as it is recognized that some sections of an individual problem may have been carried out correctly even though the final answer may be incorrect. Partial credit will only be given if the student work is logically developed, with clear and well-marked diagrams, with the appropriate fundamental and auxiliary equations prominently displayed, where the substitutions into the equations are quite clear, and the assumptions used are quite obvious to the grader when grading. That is, it is the student's responsibility to present his/her work so clearly that the grader can quickly ascertain the location and nature of the error(s) and can easily follow the subsequent work through to the now incorrect solution of the problem. Thus, the student's contribution, needed to obtain partial credit, is to be able to clearly lead the grader through the student's thought process on the exam page alone. If this is not quite clear on the work submitted, credit will not be given then nor later. Partial credit is simply not negotiable.

 

Class Project

The class project grade includes both a written and oral portion. You will be required to work in a group where you will complete work individually and as a team. A major portion of your grade includes participation so make sure that the group work is equally divided among team members.

 

Learning Activities Grade

As an engineer, you will need to continue lifelong learning throughout your career. You will attend workshops, tour work sites, interview clients, among other duties. To foster the need for students to work and engage outside of the classroom an activities grade will be factored into your grade. To support the goal of lifelong learning outside of the classroom, ACES (Amarillo College Engineering Society) will arrange for guest speakers and/or tours to broaden your education.  You must attend 4 of the activities or society fundraisers. We are planning on a minimum of 6 activities from which to chose.   If you cannot attend the activity, you will submit a 2 page, double spaced, 12 point paper (including footnotes) on an assigned engineering topic.

The activities grade can be achieved by completing any 4 of the following:

 

  1. Attending, Signing in and Submitting a report for an approved ACES meeting (tours do not count)

 

The Engineering Department and the Amarillo College Engineering Society (ACES) will arrange for guest speakers to broaden your education. There will be speakers on the first Wednesday, at noon, of each month. If you attend an approved speaker activity, your report is due one week after the meeting. No late speaker activities will be accepted past this one week window. This means if you attend a meeting and miss the one week window you will still be responsible for 4 additional activities. The form will be provided for you in Blackboard and must be submitted through Blackboard. A sign in sheet will be provided at the meeting that you must sign to receive credit. Your report will be cross checked with the sign in sheet.

If it is found that you submitted a report and did not attend the meeting, a grade of 0 will be submitted for your entire activities grade.

If it is discovered that you signed in for another student or allowed another student to sign for you at a meeting, a grade of 0 will be submitted for your activities grade.

 

  1. Attending an approved ACES fundraiser for 1 consecutive hour and submitting the designated ACES volunteer report in Blackboard signed by an ACES officer (can only be applied for 1 activity).

 

All fundraiser reports will be due on December 3. No late reports will be accepted. If a report is forged in any form, a grade of 0 will be submitted for your entire activities grade.

 

  1. Shadowing an Engineer for at least 1 consecutive hour and completing the appropriate form (can only be applied for 1 activity) including contact information for the engineer you shadowed.

 

The due date for all reports will be Decmber 3. No late reports will be accepted past this date. The person you shadow must have an accredited engineering degree of any engineering field. It is okay if their job title does not say “engineer.” You cannot get paid while shadowing an engineer. If it is discovered that you received any form of compensation while shadowing, you did not shadow someone with an engineering degree or that the job shadow never took place and you submitted a shadow report, a grade of 0 will be submitted for your activities grade.

 

  1. Writing and Submitting a Report on an approved subject by your instructor

 

Submit a two page (not including the resource page or the heading), double spaced, 12 point font paper on the topic approved by your instructor (listed in Blackboard). You must have at least two resources on the resources page and the resources must be correctly cited in the report. These resources must be from published papers in scientific journals. The paper must include proper grammar and punctuation which reflect a college level understanding of the English language. If the paper is written poorly with an incoherent flow or contain numerous grammatical errors, a grade of 0 will be given for that particular activity. Each report submitted for an activity grade must be written over a different subject. You cannot submit more than one report on any given approved subject. The due date for all reports will be December 3. No late reports will be accepted past this date.

If it is found that in part or whole you plagiarized (according to the Webster Dictionary definition) any portion of your report, a grade of 0 will be submitted for the activities portion of your grade.

If you are unsure if your work includes any forms of plagiarism discuss your concerns with your instructor before your report is submitted.

 

Homework Format

Handwritten homework shall be presented on engineering (quadrille) paper, in pencil, one side only. If an error is made, erase thoroughly. Homework with scratched out work will NOT be accepted. Each problem should be started on a new page. Homework presentations shall be as follows:

  • In the upper left corner full rectangle box, place the course name, number and section. ENGR 2301-001
  • In the far right small square, place the page number: 1/2, 2/2, etc.
  • In the rectangular box immediately to the left of the page number, place your first and last name.
  • Explicitly state any assumptions that you make.
  • Show all significant steps. It should be clear why each step is taken.
  • Redraw figures and clearly label as needed with dimensions, labels, and units.
  • Underline important intermediate results.
  • Box (not circle) final results.
  • Review work to be certain all work is neat* and easy to read.

*NOTE: If I can’t read it, I won’t grade it.

Memos, Reports, and other formal Engineering documents done in Word and/or Excel will be turned in in electronic file form with the following information in the header:

Janie Smith

ENGR 2301 001

08/31/2020

Assignment title

Grades will be awarded based on the following formula:

HW mark = (presentation factor) x (correctness)

Here the presentation factor is a number between 0 and 1. This means that homework should be both correct (or mostly correct) and well presented to receive a high mark. For handwritten work be advised that if the quality of presentation is very poor, then the submission may not be marked for correctness. Neat and legible block letter printing but not cursive, and adherence to the above guidelines is all that is required.

  • The Instructor reserves the right to grade any number of problem(s) per assignment.
  • Collaboration between students is allowed on problem solving; however, EACH STUDENT must turn in an ORIGINAL, COMPLETE, problem set.
  • NO CREDIT will be given for late homework. Homework is due at 9:00 AM. Homework can be submitted early.

Attendance

Students will only attend class once per week.  On the other class day, students can access the class meeting via the Google Meet link in the classroom.  All sessions will be recorded.

Expect to have homework assigned each day.  Please note the homework format requirements. You are responsible for the requirements. A number of in-class quizzes may be given during lecture periods.  Homework and in-class quiz grades will comprise 20% of the course grade.

Please remember the deadline for dropping a class at Amarillo College during the Fall semester is November 24.  If you stop attending class and do not officially drop the course by this deadline, and your final average is below a 60, you will receive an F for the course.

Attendance is essential for successful completion of this course.  In order to promote consistent attendance, homework is regularly assigned and in-class quizzes may periodically be given.  Late homework is not accepted and in-class quizzes may not be made up.  Homework may be submitted and exams taken in advance when absences are due to a scheduled event.

Calendar

Projected Schedule Subject to Change

Week 1

Syllabus, 1.1 - 2.3   

Week 9

6.1 - 6.3, Test

Week 2

2.3 - 2.6

Week 10

6.4 - 6.6

Week 3

2.6 - 3.1

Week 11

7.1 - 7.2

Week 4

3.2 - 4.1

Week 12

8.1 - 8.3

Week 5

4.2 - 4.4, Test

Week 13

9.1 - 9.3, Test

Week 6

4.5 - 4.7

Week 14

10.1 - 10.2

Week 7

5.1  -5.4

Week 15

10.3 - 10.4, Project Due

Week 8

5.5 - 5.7

Week 16

Final

Subject to change at instructor's discretion.

Additional Information

The best way to contact the instructor is via email. Use the Blackboard email system for the quickest response.

The "Ask the Instructor" discussion board is available to ask questions to which your peers may want an answer. This is similar to raising your hand in class. Everyone is welcome to answer questions in the forum, and I will check it frequently.

 

Important Course Dates:

08/24: Fall Semester Begins

09/07: Labor Day Holiday (College Closed)

09/09: Census Day

09/11: General Assembly (Campus Closed from 11:30 AM - 5:00 PM)

10/19 - 10/25: Fall Break (Campus Open)

11/09: Spring Registration Begins

11/24: Last Day to Withdraw from 16-week Classes

11/26 - 11/29: Thanksgiving Holiday (Campus Closed)

12/17: Fall Semester Ends

12/18: Commencement

12/19 - 01/03: Christmas Break (Limited Services)

Syllabus Created on:

08/18/20 1:20 PM

Last Edited on:

08/24/20 7:14 PM