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Session 1793

Power, Energy, and Work: A Study Module for First Year Students In Engineering Technology

John W. Blake Austin Peay State University

Abstract Any instructor preparing a course for first year students seeks to include material that is appropriate for students with a wide range of backgrounds and will be useful to them in the future. Also, one hopes that the material will build on their interests and encourage them to continue in the field. One subject that meets all of these criteria is the subject of work, energy, and power. This paper will explore the use of and describe the author’s experience with using these topics in introductory classes.

Introduction Many programs in both engineering technology and engineering find it worthwhile to require introductory courses for first year students. If one looks at textbooks available for these courses,1, 2, 3, 4 one finds a mix of descriptive information on engineering and technology and material on engineering calculations and analysis. The math required for calculations must be at a level appropriate for incoming students.

The analytical material commonly starts with a review of math topics and a treatment of units of measure. The topic of measures and units is common to all areas of engineering and science; one also finds these topics in the introductory sections of texts covering a wide range of engineering subjects. For the introductory courses, the subjects of weight and mass and of radian measure are commonly included. Along with these topics, one may find more topics from math, introductory topics from engineering science, design, and student projects. Ideally, the topics covered build upon the earlier material and will be useful to majors in any area of engineering and technology.

A study of work, energy, and power fits well in this package. The topic meets the criteria of building on earlier material in the course and of being useful in different engineering disciplines. It is found in courses on mechanics and has practical application in design.

Calculations involving work, energy, and power can be treated at the basic algebra level. These calculations may (or may be written to) require unit conversions. If one starts with the weight as part of the given information in a problem, problems can require that students find the mass. Thus, this topic makes direct use of topics covered earlier in the course. The topic has another advantage; it relates directly to the design and operation of a wide range of machines and Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright 2004, American Society for Engineering Education

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Blake, J. (2004, June), Power, Energy, And Work: A Study Module For First Year Students In Engineering Technology Paper presented at 2004 Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--14112