Synopses & Reviews
Students entering engineering programs should gain competency in several areas during the freshman year. Aside from answering the question of whether they really want to study engineering, students must, if they are to be successful, gain an understanding of basic scientific principles, use of computer tools, approaches to engineering problems, and basic study skills. If students do not develop a solid foundation in these critical skills early in their academic career, they will struggle in upper level courses or turn their back on engineering. Saeed Moaveni's new book is designed to give students an overview of these skills at the freshman level. Often, students do not grasp the importance of developing good study skills and, consequently, will struggle in later courses as a result. This book introduces students to basic study skills while also introducing the engineering discipline in the early chapters. Having thoroughly prepared students, the author then introduces basic principles, physical laws, engineering materials, computer tools, and engineering standards and codes at a basic level so students comprehend the importance of these topics. The book features examples from everyday situations, providing students with a meaningful context in which to learn hard-to-grasp topics. Examples of how the skills being learned are applied to different fields of engineering are supported by the opportunity to apply these skills in hands-on exercises. Throughout the text, Moaveni emphasizes strategies for solving engineering problems as well as the importance of communication skills in terms of writing technical reports or memos, and giving oral presentations. Moaveni's writing style is student-friendly and his "Observe the World Around You" feature is an excellent and unique way to introduce new ideas to beginning engineering students.
Review
"We like Moaveni's text because of the size and level of complexity."
Synopsis
Motivating students from all engineering disciplines, this text encourages students to become engineers and prepares them with a solid foundation in fundamental principles and physical laws. The book begins by introducing students to the exciting world of engineering as they discover what engineers do as well as the various areas of specialization. After explaining good study habits and what it takes to succeed, Moaveni then prepares them for success with an introduction to design and problem solving, communication, and ethics. Once this foundation is established, the book moves on to the basic physical concepts and laws students will encounter regularly as engineering students. The text emphasizes that engineers apply physical and chemical laws and principles as well as mathematics to design, test, and supervise the production of millions of parts, products, and services that people use everyday. By gaining problem solving skills and an understanding of fundamental principles, students are on their way to becoming analytical, detail-oriented, and creative engineers.
About the Author
Dr. Saeed Moaveni, P.E., joined the Mechanical Engineering Faculty at Minnesota State University at Mankato in 1990. He is Professor and the Chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department. He is a member of American Society for Engineering Education, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and American Society of Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning Engineers.
Table of Contents
1. STUDY HABITS OF SUCCESSFUL ENGINEERING STUDENTS. Making the Transition from High School to College. Budgeting Your Time. Daily Studying and Preparation. Get Involved with an Engineering Organization. Other Considerations. Summary. Assignment. 2. INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING. Engineering Work Is All Around You. Engineering as a Profession and Common Traits of Good Engineers. Engineering Disciplines and Engineering Organizations. Summary. Assignments. 3. ENGINEERING PROBLEM SOLVING AND PRESENTATION. Engineering Problems and Fundamental Dimensions. Engineering Components and Systems. Physical Laws and Observations in Engineering. Basic Steps Involved in the Solution of Engineering Problems. Communication Skills and Presentation of Engineering Work. Summary. Problems. 4. LENGTH & LENGTH RELATED ENGINEERING PARAMETERS. Length as a Fundamental Dimension. Measurement of Length. Some Useful Length Formulae. Nominal Size & Actual Size. Radians as Ratio of Two Lengths. Strain as Ratio of Two Lengths. Area. Some Useful Area Formulae and Area Approximation Methods. Volume. Second Moment of Areas. Summary. Problems. 5. TIME & TIME RELATED ENGINEERING PARAMETERS. Time as a Fundamental Dimension. Measurement of Time. Periods & Frequencies. Flow of Traffic. Parameters Involving Length and Time. Linear Velocities. Linear Accelerations. Volume Flow Rate. Angular Motion. Summary. Problems. 6. MASS & MASS RELATED ENGINEERING PARAMETERS. Mass as a Fundamental Dimension. Measurement of Mass. Density. Specific Volume. Specific Gravity. Mass Flow Rate. Mass Moment of Inertia. Momentum. Conservation of Mass. Statistical Measures of Central Tendency and Variation. Summary. Problems. 7. FORCE & FORCE RELATED PARAMETERS. What We Mean by Force. Newtons Laws in Mechanics. Pressure and Stress-Forces Acting over an Area. Modulus of Elasticity. Modulus of Rigidity. Bulk Modulus of Compressibility. Moment. Torque-Forces Acting at a Distance. Work-Forces Acting over a Distance. Impulse-Forces Acting over Time. Summary. Problems. 8. TEMPERATURE & TEMPERATURE RELATED PARAMETERS. Temperature as a Fundamental Dimension. Measurement of Temperature and Its Units. Temperature Difference and Heat Transfer. Some Temperature Related Material Properties. Heating Values of Fuels. Summary. Problems. 9. ELECTRICITY. Electric Current as a Fundamental Dimension. Voltage. Direct Current and Alternating Current. Electric Circuits and Components. Electric Motors. Summary. Problems. 10. ENERGY & POWER. Work. Mechanical Energy. Thermal Energy. Conservation of Energy. Understanding What We Mean by Power. Watts and Horse Power. Efficiency. Summary. Problems. 11. UNDERSTANDING ENGINEERING MATERIALS. Material Selection. Electrical, Mechanical, and Thermophysical Properties of Materials. Some Common Solid Engineering Materials: Light Metals. Copper and its Alloys. Iron and Steel. Concrete. Wood. Plastics. Glass. Composite Materials. Some Common Fluid Materials: Air and Water. Summary. Problems. 12. ENGINEERING STANDARDS AND CODES. Why Do We Need Standards and Codes? Examples of Standards and Codes in the United States. Examples of International Standards and Codes. Specific Examples of Standards and Codes in the United States. Drinking Water Standards in the United States. Outdoor Air Quality Standards in the United States. Indoor Air Quality Standards in the United States. Summary. Problems. 13. ENGINEERING SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS. Why Do We Need Engineering Symbols? Examples of Common Symbols used in Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering. Examples of Math Symbols. Greek Alphabets and Roman Numerals. Summary. Problems 14. ELECTRONIC SPREAD SHEETS. Microsoft Excel-Basic Ideas. Cells and Their Addresses. Creating Formulae in Excel. Using Excel Functions. Using Excel Logical Functions. Plotting with Excel. Summary. Problems. 15. ENGINEERING DRAWINGS. Importance of Engineering Drawing. Orthographic Views. Dimensioning and Tolerancing. Isometric View. Sectional Views. Solid Modeling. Summary. Problems. 16. INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING DESIGN. Engineering Design Process. Engineering Economics. Engineering Ethics. Summary. Problems. Appendix A: Property Tables. Appendix B: Conversion Factors. Index.