Introduction to Engineering Mechanics

Georgia Institute of Technology via Coursera

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Details

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Provider

Coursera
Pricing

Free Online Course (Audit)
Languages

English
Certificate

Paid Certificate Available
Duration & workload

14 hours 45 minutes
Sessions

On-Demand
Subtitles

Arabic, French, Portuguese, Italian, German, Russian, English, Spanish, Chinese, Kazakh, Hindi, Swedish, Korean, Greek, Thai, Ukrainian, Japanese, Indonesian, Polish, Dutch, Turkish, Hungarian, Bengali, Pashto, Urdu, Azerbaijani, Farsi

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Overview

This course is an introduction to learning and applying the principles required to solve engineering mechanics problems. Concepts will be applied in this course from previous courses you have taken in basic math and physics. The course addresses the modeling and analysis of static equilibrium problems with an emphasis on real world engineering applications and problem solving. The copyright of all content and materials in this course are owned by either the Georgia Tech Research Corporation or Dr. Wayne Whiteman. By participating in the course or using the content or materials, whether in whole or in part, you agree that you may download and use any content and/or material in this course for your own personal, non-commercial use only in a manner consistent with a student of any academic course. Any other use of the content and materials, including use by other academic universities or entities, is prohibited without express written permission of the Georgia Tech Research Corporation. Interested parties may contact Dr. Wayne Whiteman directly for information regarding the procedure to obtain a non-exclusive license.

Syllabus

Forces and Particle Equilibrium

In this section, students will learn the definition of a force and how to represent a force as a vector in two (2D) and three (3D) dimensions. Students will learn the concept of particle equilibrium and equilibrium of systems of particles. Concepts will be reinforced with example problems.

Define and Calculate Moments

In this section, students will learn the definition of a moment. Students will calculate the moment of a force about a point, line or axis, and moment due to a couple.

Equilibrium and Equivalence of Force Systems

In this section, students will learn the equilibrium equations in two (2D) and three (3D) dimensions. Students will solve equivalent system problems. System force results will be defined and calculated.

Free Body Diagrams and Equilibrium Analysis Techniques

In this section, students will learn to analyze general equilibrium problems. Free Body Diagrams (FBD) will be defined. Concepts will be reinforced with example problems.

Application of Static Equilibrium Equations

In this section, students will apply the equilibrium equations to solve two (2D) and three (3D) real world engineering problems. There will be an extensive use of example problems to reinforce concepts from the course.

Taught by

Dr. Wayne E. Whiteman

Reviews

4.7 rating, based on 175 Class Central reviews

4.8 rating at Coursera based on 4974 ratings

Start your review of Introduction to Engineering Mechanics

Anonymous

I have learned things in the course that I did not know about statics and that was my intent. Except for mistakes, the lectures are very good. I would not be against actually taking courses from this instructor. I was very put off by the lack of for…

I have learned things in the course that I did not know about statics and that was my intent. Except for mistakes, the lectures are very good. I would not be against actually taking courses from this instructor.
I was very put off by the lack of formal practice problem answers and solutions. I almost quit after first batch of practice problems when other student postings were only source of answers. I find forums an absolute appalling way to obtain any form of information especially respective of time. In some of the course I find the assigned practice problems a bit off of the initial subject line. How about some problems directly related to the topic of lecture to affirm understanding before additional challenges.
The statics book of the 80s was the Beer & Johnston text (University of Arizona). I find it unusual that the older book has no matrix mathematics in it. The entire text uses trig and scalars.
Anonymous

I am a Mechanical Engineer and like most of them engineers, I had very weak concepts of basics of Mechanical Engineering. Then I came across this series of courses from Dr. Whiteman and believe me or not, I have learned more from him than my 4 years at an engineering university. He has this amazing quality of delivering the concepts in a very easy, understandable way. I really want to thank Dr. Whiteman for designing this amazing course and Coursera for providing us the platform to learn. They are really serving the humanity and mankind.
As for Dr. Whiteman. I would say Thank you, Sir!!!!
You have my respect for the lifetime.
ELKACHKACHI AZZEDDINE

this formation is very good to inderstand a lot of and i like it ..................................................................................................
good job thank you
Anonymous

I took this course along with the Applications course more than 3 years ago mostly for personal interest but also to give me something to do while I was laid up for six weeks after surgery. I couldn't stand the thought of watching TV more than a c…

I took this course along with the Applications course more than 3 years ago mostly for personal interest but also to give me something to do while I was laid up for six weeks after surgery. I couldn't stand the thought of watching TV more than a couple of hours a day if at all.

I've had physics in high school and college and that was 35 years ago. I also have done some self-study in calculus. With my limited schooling in those subjects, I still thought the concepts were well explained. It was a challenging course, but I wouldn't say difficult as long as you studied and did the problems. I would liken it to maybe an AP course in high school.

I definitely want to take the dynamics and material courses when I can find some time. And I think there are others. These are perfect for a person like me who doesn't care about a degree anymore, wants to be pushed a little and has only a 4 to 6 week attention span.
Anonymous

Dr. Whiteman is a great professor, and his Coursera modules helped me a great deal in getting through my statics class. He is very good at making the material easy to understand, and he makes a point of verifying that all information presented is cl…

Dr. Whiteman is a great professor, and his Coursera modules helped me a great deal in getting through my statics class. He is very good at making the material easy to understand, and he makes a point of verifying that all information presented is clear and accurate. I greatly appreciate the effort that he has put into creating these modules. I highly recommend this course for anyone who is trying to learn more about statics, and I also highly recommend Dr. Whiteman's other Coursera courses for similar classes, such as dynamics or deformable bodies. I am taking dynamics with a different professor currently, and that professor's lectures are completely incomprehensible. However, by following along with the videos from Dr. Whiteman that correspond to what we are learning in, I have been able to understand what we are supposed to be learning and keep up with the curriculum. 10/10 would watch again
Anonymous

It was a great experience to do this course with Dr. Wayne E. Whiteman ( from Georgia Institute of Technology-a great institute too), I highly recommend these types of courses, at least you summarize the important ideas, and get familiar with e-learning.
pros:
1-abbreviated, time effective learning
2- Dr Whiteman has easy to understand language besides straight forward attitude of explaining subjects
cons:
1- I found the course to be a little easy (it's just an introduction as stated)
2- I hope to see like more animation or real life videos.
last word, thanks for all (class-central website,Georgia Institute and Dr Whiteman), you for sure will not waste your time here.
best regards
Monde Maziyane

At least half of this course was revision for me as a former Cambridge A-Level Maths Teacher (Cambridge International Examinations). The other half constituted some very interesting topics which Prof Whiteman explains really well. He has a way of getting into the crux of the matter in a very effective and concise style. I have also completed Applications in Engineering Mechanics and had a great deal of fun with that course as well. If you get yourself a copy of the recommended text - Engineering Mechanics by W.W. King and D.J. McGill, you will increase of chances of doing well in the course.
Anonymous

I was skeptical about taking this type of course employing the "flipped classroom" method of learning, but I was blown away by the end of this course. The videos are incredibly helpful, especially when paired with the practice problems provided. As a distance learning student for this class, I was also nervous about not physically being in the classroom, but was given equal opportunity for assistance throughout the semester.

I can now say that I am extremely confident in my engineering mechanics ability and that this course greatly influenced my success in the following course, deformable bodies.

I highly recommend this course and Dr. Whiteman to anyone who needs to take statics.
Anonymous

I took this to learn basic fundamentals principles right as I took mechanics of materials first. This one covers statics. It's up to anyone to decide their sequence of study but grasping basics is important to mastering of more advanced concepts later as long as one doesn't get fogged out. As with all videos produced with Dr Wayne, the high quality video productions are interspersed with quiz exercises to challenge one's own learning pace. The delivery in the video production made effort to engage and relate to the interested beginner.
Anonymous

I decided to take this course a few years ago after failing my university's Solid Mechanics course, a requirement for my degree. Dr. Whiteman's videos proved to be clear, concise, and extremely helpful. The material was challenging but after completing this course I became confident in all of the material that I had failed to grasp in my university course. The next year, I retook the Solid Mechanics course and passed--something I couldn't have done without this course to help me. I will be graduating next year.
Anonymous

This is my second course with Dr. Whitman and I strongly recommend anyone who wants to learn about this topic to take the course.
The high rating goes for the simplicity in explaining the concepts and the lecturer's proficiency and expertise in understanding the material and delivering it to the audience in an excellent way.
Thanks Dr. Whitman !
Anonymous

Thank you very much Dr. White man. This course with your clear teaching style and explanations have made me to understand a lot of basic engineering principles. Not many students, like me, get the opportunity to learn in world's top universities. But because of the power of internet and generous people like you, who are willing to share knowledge and educate, we get to experience such top quality learnings. Once again, thank you for your great work...!
Anonymous

I've only completed part of the course so far (taken as a refresher), I will completing the rest in the coming weeks. I found the pace of teaching and Dr Whiteman's delivery excellent.
Whilst it's only an introductory course, mechanics can be complex if not fully explained.
I found the explanations, examples and method of delivery useful, interactive and challenging.
No hesitation in recommending this course
Anonymous

Hello there!
I am Roboticst with CS and Electronics background. I had a lot of problem communicating with fellow roboticts when I would discuss something related to mechanics of a robot with them. The great thing for me is, that I am becomin able to communicate well enough with the mechanical engineers on team now.
Anonymous

Perhaps I've misunderstood, but it seems to me that this class is less about engineering mechanics as it is a class about basic physics. The topics it tries to teach use proper vocabulary, which I appreciate, but it more so convolutes concepts otherwise elementary, especially so when these terms are introduced so early and abruptly.
Anonymous

Dear Sir

The course material is very much organised, Easy to understand the concepts.
Assignments questions are relavent to the course material,
Over all the content is excellent.

Regards
Kamalakarrao
Anonymous

I am a high school teacher who wanted to review some engineering principles before teaching the ideas at the secondary level. Engineering is being taught in more and more high schools across the country. This is a great way to build your background knowledge that will make your own class better.
Anonymous

I could understand and keep up with the teacher but I wouldn't recommend it as a beginner's course as the teaching was very sub standard in terms of explanation of details of concepts. It was as if a revision and a strengthening course for people that already understand the material
Anonymous

Great course that helps one get familiar with the lingo and the methods of engineering mechanics. The questions can be a bit tough at times, and the diagrams are slightly unclear though, especially in the exam questions. Nonetheless the course itself is particularly interesting.
Anonymous

Thank you so much for this amazing course. The modules are well-structured and the teaching methodology is really impressive.

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