EGR 244L Dynamics

Course description

In this class you will develop skills for analyzing the motion of bodies. You will learn indispensible tools for determining the position and velocity of an object subject to forces, which help practicing engineers design bridges, planes, and engines, as well as explain important physical phenomena. We will begin with the motion of particles, then rigid bodies, followed by an introduction to vibrations and other advanced topics.

Learning objectives

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

  • Select and define appropriate reference frames and coordinate systems for particle and rigid body problems and determine the unknowns among position, velocity, and acceleration, given a set of constraints on the kinematics of a particle or body.
  • Derive differential equations of motion for a particle or rigid body in plane motion, using a variety of force models, such as gravity, Coulomb friction, viscous damping, and spring stiffness, and solve the equations using appropriate analytical or numerical techniques.
  • Choose and apply the appropriate work-energy and impulse-momentum relations to find relationships between dynamic states of a particle or rigid body, and solve for the dynamic states in selected problems.
  • Use Lagrange’s Equations in a variety of settings to derive equations of motion.
  • Derive linear mathematical models for and analyze single and multiple degree of freedom vibratory systems.
  • Design and test experimental models that demonstrate dynamic phenomena and compare with theoretical and numerical predictions.

 

For more information, please see the 2018 course syllabus.