Engineering Mechanics I (Statics) Syllabus for 2025-2026
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Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:

Tutoring for Success applies to any student whose overall performance in the course falls below 75%. The instructor will create the task in the Student Engagement Portal (Watermark) to direct the student to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty- or SI-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. The tutoring service assigned, the due date for when the tutoring must be completed, and the amount of tutoring required are at the discretion of the instructor. Additionally, the task will alert the student’s success team. Students who do not fulfill the assigned tutoring task may be subject to program- and course-specific penalties that could result in a grade reduction and/or in not being allowed to progress in the course until the tutoring requirement has been satisfied.

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.

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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 Resources Student 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

Vector Mechanics for Engineers: Statics; Beer, Jhonston (2024) McGraw Hill, hard copy. ISBN: 978-1-266-47625-9

Supplies

Required: 

• Pencils
• Pens
• Erasers
• Graphing or Scientific Calculator
• Paper (Engineering Paper)

3 ring binder if loose leaf version of textbook is purchased.

Student Performance

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

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

Students 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.

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 & Physical Sciences Department Chair and/or other AC authority; withdrawal from the course and/or Amarillo College.

Zero tolerance cheating policy.

For a full discussion of appropriate behavior and student responsibilities, please refer to the Student Rights & Responsibilities Handbook. http://www.actx.edu/admission/files/filecabinet/folder2/Student_R_R_07_Hyper.pdf

Tips for doing well in class

1. ATTEND CLASSES.
Regular attendance will be the greatest factor in achieving success in this course.

2. Look over the schedule and read over upcoming material. 
The early exposure will greatly help in understanding the material when we cover it in class.

3. Review material soon after the conclusion of each lecture. 
This will help with retention and understanding of the material.

4. Don't fall behind. 
Procrastination is an easy thing to do. 
It's all fun and games until you've been up all night, realize the sun is coming up, and you still have work to do...

5. Start strong.
The start of each class is generally the easiest. 
That's a terrible excuse to "coast" at the beginning. It forms bad habits that tend to persist through the semester.
Hit it hard from the get go. You'll see it pay off toward the end when every point starts to count. 

6. Be prepared. 
At minimum each day you'll need:
A good pencil/pen
Eraser
Notebook/Paper
Calculator
Textbook
(Flash drive)

7. Make friends! 
Engineering is a team effort! 
Talk to your classmates, trade contact info, work together, and form study groups.
You're not alone in this.

8.Do your best work in this class, work you can be proud of.

9. Think positively. You yourself should be your greatest cheerleader. 

10.Work smart. 
Problems in engineering tend to have multiple solutions.
Keep It Simple Stupid.

11. The only stupid question is the one not asked.
Engineers are expected to have the right answers, not all of the answers.
It is perfectly okay to not know something. 
Knowing things is relative and based on experience. 
Don't ever assume something is "common" knowledge. So don't be embarrassed about not knowing something.

Finally, 
Engineering is a brutal path to walk. There really is no sugarcoating it.
It requires a lot from a person: sacrifice, time, stress, dedication, passion, and that will to fight on.
Despite the difficulty and ordeal, it truly is one of the most rewarding paths you can take.
You'll succeed, and you'll fail. You'll have the best day of your studies, you'll have your worst day.
When you succeed, be proud. 
When you fail, learn and keep going.
You're not the first to walk this path, nor the last. 
Like those before you: believe in yourself, take failure in stride, and most importantly...

Don't give up. 

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:

Grading Scheme (Subject to Change)

Assignments/Quizzes

Expect to have weekly assignments, which may result in completion at home. Video assignments, lab activities and alternative lessons beyond traditional lectures will be given throughout the semester to aid you with learning the content and peer to peer exchange of information. Students will be grouped in teams and must participate as they are being observed during lab and other class activities.  Any written assignment, unless it is provided as a handout, must meet the format requirements at the end of this document; this format will aid you when you take advanced engineering courses.  If there is a quiz, it will be given during the first part of class and cannot be made up so please be on time.

Assignment Policy

Written assignments should appear professional as stated below and the solution should flow in a logical manner. 

• Normally assignments in engineering classes should be completed on 8.5" x 11" Engineering Paper
• At this time, because of rising costs across the board, I will not require assignments to be completed on Engineering Paper.
• However, if homework quality can be increased through the use of this paper, I will start to require it.
• Write legibly. I will either not grade it or it will be subject to HEAVY penalties.
• Only write on the front of each page.
• New problems *should* be started on a new page.
  • If there is a large amount/adequate amount to fully solve a problem left on a page. It is acceptable to have multiple problems on a single page.
• You can discuss homework problems with your classmates. However, each student must provide their own written solutions unless stated otherwise.
• COPYING OF ASSIGNMENTS IS NOT ALLOWED AND IS SUBJECT TO PENALTY.

ALL HOMEWORK IS TO FOLLOW THE FOLLOWING FORMAT REGARDLESS OF THE TYPE OF PROBLEM.

GIVEN: 
State clearly and concisely the problem description. 
List all pertinent data and information given by the problem.
It is okay to give a diagram (FBD, Schematic, or a Sketch of the System of Interest) here. 
This is a convenient method of including information that would otherwise be too difficult or lengthy to describe in words.
Label pertinent information on the diagram.

FIND: 
State briefly what is to be determined. 

SOLUTION:
Show all the solution work and explain clearly all steps.
List all assumptions and major equations used in solving the problem.
This section should be a logical procedure indicating the problem solution process from problem infancy to the final answer.
Develop analysis as completely as possible before substituting numerical values.
WHEN SUBSTITUTING NUMERICAL VALUES INTO EQUATIONS, INCLUDE ALL UNITS.

ANSWER:
Clearly indicate the final answer to the problem including appropriate units.
Add a box or circle the answer...

Midterm

The Midterm will be a Beam Deflection lab that will apply the concepts in Chapter 9 (Moments of Inertia) and show how Engineering concepts work in a real world setting. There will be advanced notice as to when this Midterm will take place.

Absence on the day of the Midterm will be met with an extreme penalty to this grade if not an outright failure for this assignment.

Exams

Advance notice of each exam, including the scope will be provided.

Each exam will encompass 15% of your final grade.

Absence from an exam will incur a zero (0) unless the student has received prior approval from the instructor or there is an emergency that could not be circumvented. Students who miss an exam because of College or business-related activities should notify the instructor before the absence occurs.

There is a zero tolerance policy for cheating.

Grading of Exams:  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. 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.

Attendance

Course Policy
Regular attendance is required in this class.

• If you don't regularly attend class and do HW and quizzes you will not pass
• When in class, you are expected to be attentive and involved.
• Be on time.

In the event of absence students are expected to notify the professor with the date, class section, and reason of absence.

• Failure to notify the professor will result in a penalty.

Lecture:
In-Class and group work makes your regular, timely, attendance important. 

Attendance is essential for successful completion of the course. In order to promote consistent attendance, classwork is regularly assigned and in-class quizzes may be periodically given.

Missed in-class assignments and in-class quizzes can not be not be made up.

If you do not come to class on or before the Census date, you will be administratively dropped from the class.  Please remember the deadline for withdrawing from this 16-week course is 4/23/26. 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.

Below is the projected course calendar. A detailed calendar can be found on Black Board. 

Calendar

Additional Information

The best way to contact me is during office hours or via email. Hard work, positive attitude and team work are expected. Remember, as an engineer, you are a problem solver!

If you need help outside of class, please visit me during office hours or go to the Math Academic Success Center. See the hours shown below:

Math Academic Success Center
In Person:  Monday – Friday: 8 AM – 8 PM,   Saturday: 9 AM – 8 PM

Math Testing Center

Mon. - Thurs: 9 AM - 10 PM, Friday 9 AM - 8 PM & Sat.: 9 AM -  6 PM

AMARILLO COLLEGE ADVOCACY AND RESOURCE CENTER (ARC)

Located Ware Student Commons Suite 108 for walk-in services. For any questions, please call 806-371-5446 or email thearc@actx.edu. Website located at https://www.actx.edu/arc/student-resources.

Provides assistance and resources for:

• Caregiver Resources
• Childcare Resources
• Parenting Assistance
• Housing Assistance
• Food Assistance
• Affordable Clothing
• Transportation Assistance
• Substance Abuse Resources
• Mental Health Resources
• LBGTQ+ Resources
• Veteran Resources
• and more

If there are any barriers to you succeeding in this course, privately let the instructor know. I am here to help you succeed.