Coursework Assignment

6E4Z1104 Mathematical Methods 1

This is an assignment for students on Level 4 (first year) of the following courses:

• MEng / BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering

• MEng / BEng (Hons) Electrical and Electronic Engineering

We hope that you enjoy doing this assignment. The aim of this assignment is to use MATLAB to
create a mathematical model to investigate the impact velocity of the spacecraft. The skills you
demonstrate in this assessment are important because mathematical modelling, using programmes
such as MATLAB, is a widely used method for design and analysis in all engineering disciplines. Being
able to concisely and coherently present your work in a report is an important method of
communication for all engineers.

Links
The Moodle Support Page includes the support video, submission details and
dropbox, answers to frequently asked questions, and the latest version of this
document.

Contacts
Lead Assessor: Naveed Ashraf

Technical Support: Unit Team

Contents
Workflow ................................................................................................................................................ 2
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3
Aim .......................................................................................................................................................... 3
Task Description ...................................................................................................................................... 3
Task 1 ...................................................................................................................................................... 3
Task 2 ...................................................................................................................................................... 4
Assessment ............................................................................................................................................. 7
Formative Feedback ............................................................................................................................ 7
What is being assessed? ..................................................................................................................... 7
Assessment Grading Criteria ............................................................................................................... 8
Re-assessment ........................................................................................................................................ 9

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Coursework Assignment
6E4Z1104 Mathematical Methods 1

Workflow

1. Introduction
Briefly introduce the problem
and the rationale for
undertaking the work
2. Methods
• Flow chart illustrating how
you have designed your code
• MATLAB code including
comments

3. Results 4. Discussion and

• Use mathematical software such
as Excel/MATLAB to investigate the
Conclusion
correlation between the variables. Summarise your findings and
• Using your MATLAB code, discuss the success of your
investigate the impact velocity of model
the spacecraft.

Plan a realistic schedule of work to complete this assignment on time and to a high standard.

Recommended deadlines to complete each sub-task:

1. Task1: 01/02/2020
2. Task 2 (Matlab code): 01/03/2020
3. Task 2 (Discussion and conclusion): 23/03/2020

This assignment is for 60% of your unit mark, and we expect you to spend up to 45 hours on it, in
total.

The Assignment Support video will talk you through the workflow and help guide your plan for
success.

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Coursework Assignment
6E4Z1104 Mathematical Methods 1

Introduction
Mathematical modelling emerged as a powerful, indispensable tool for studying a variety of problems
in scientific research, product and process development and manufacturing. It may help you to explain
a system and to study the effects of different components, and to make predictions about their
behaviour.

Aim
The aim of this assignment is to:

• Use mathematical software such as Excel/MATLAB to investigate the correlation between the
variables.
• Use MATLAB to create a mathematical model to investigate the impact velocity of the
spacecraft.

Task Description
You are required to write a short report comprising of Tasks 1 and 2. The maximum size of the report
should be no longer than 12 pages including Appendices. Save your report as a PDF document and
follow the submission guidelines on Moodle.

Task 1
Any Mathematical Software such as Excel or MATLAB can be used for this Task.

A farm has recently purchased an Automated Voluntary Milking System (AMS) and is now able to
generate data on total milk yield (Output_data 2019-20.xlsx).

1. Calculate the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient between total annual milk
yield and number of cows owned by the farm.
2. Draw a scatter plot of the results and comment on the relationship.
3. Calculate the line of best fit using the method of least squares of the form:

𝑌𝑌� = 𝑎𝑎 + 𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏

Where: 𝑌𝑌� is the predicted total annual milk yield and X is the number of cows owned by the farm.

4. Using the equation of line of best fit; predict the total annual milk yield in 2019 if the
number of cows at the start of the year increases by 15% from 2018.

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Coursework Assignment
6E4Z1104 Mathematical Methods 1

Task 2
You are a parachute engineer working for the European Space Agency and you are required to design
and implement a piece of software to test the consequences of changing the effective cross-sectional
area of the parachute, AParachute, to be used on a spacecraft when it is returning to earth from space.
Your MATLAB program should be able to take user input data of the spacecraft mass, m, spacecraft
cross-sectional area, ASpacecraft, the parachute effective cross-sectional area, AParachute, and spacecraft
height above earth, H.

Task Details:

MATLAB must be used for this Task. Write a short report comprising of the sections below and use
your MATLAB program to answer the questions that are included.

1. INTRODUCTION

· Briefly introduce the problem and the rationale for undertaking the work.

· You do not need to include a literature review.

2. METHOD

The method section should include the following:

· Flow chart illustrating how you have designed your code

· MATLAB code including comments

3. RESULTS

Using your MATLAB code, Answer the following questions for a 850kg spacecraft with an effective
cross-sectional area of 5m2 beginning at 150km above earth with an initial velocity of 0m/s.

Question 1: If the spacecraft accelerates towards earth due to the gravitational pull what will be its
velocity, V, when it is 100km above earth? Hint: no air resistance (no FD)

Question 2: If the spacecraft continued travelling from the conditions described in Task1 and the
parachute failed to open what would be its impact velocity with the earth, V? Also what would be the
time of flight from 100km above earth’s surface to impact, T?

Question 3: If a parachute with an effective area of 150m2 was deployed at 3km above the earth’s
surface what would be the impact velocity, V? Also what would be its total time of travel from 150km
to impact after parachute deployment, T?

Question 4: Using the same conditions as Question 3 what is the minimum height that the parachute
can be deployed, Hmin, to achieve the minimum impact velocity, Vmin? Also state the minimum impact
velocity, Vmin.

Question 5: If the maximum impact velocity of the spacecraft is 10m/s what is the minimum effective
area of the parachute, AParachute?

4. DISCUSSION and CONCLUSION

Summarise your findings and discuss the success of your model.

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Coursework Assignment
6E4Z1104 Mathematical Methods 1

Understanding the Physics of the Problem:

There are three phases to the journey, freefall no atmosphere, freefall with atmosphere (no
parachute) and with parachute.

FD

m
a

1(a) (b) (c) (d)

Figure 1. Stages of a landing crafts return journey to earth, (a) freefall no atmosphere, (b) freefall with
atmosphere, (c) descent with parachute and (d) free-body diagram showing forces acting on a body in
free fall

Using F = ma gives W – FD = ma (Eq1)

Where W = mg (Eq2)

m = mass of spacecraft in kg

g = (40x107)/(6371+H)2 in m/s2

FD = drag force in Newtons

a = acceleration of the spacecraft in m/s2

H = height of spacecraft above the earth in km

Drag force is proportional to velocity and is given by:-

1
𝐹𝐹𝐷𝐷 = ∙ 𝐶𝐶 ∙ 𝜌𝜌 ∙ 𝐴𝐴 ∙ 𝑣𝑣 2 (Eq3)
2

Where C = drag coefficient = 0.7

𝜌𝜌 = air density = 0 for H>100km

𝜌𝜌 = air density = - H/71 + 1.4 in kg/m3 for 0<H<100km

v = velocity of spacecraft in m/s

A = effective cross-sectional area, ASpacecraft = 5m2, AParachute = ?

Remember that the acceleration of the spacecraft, a, will change during their journey.

So you will need to calculate velocity and displacement changes based on small time steps with
constant acceleration (if the time step is relatively small acceleration could be assumed to be constant

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Coursework Assignment
6E4Z1104 Mathematical Methods 1

for the small time step even though it is changing over a larger time period). Formulae for
displacement, s, and velocity, v may be useful.
1
𝑠𝑠 = 𝑢𝑢𝑢𝑢 + 𝑎𝑎𝑡𝑡 2 (Eq4)
2

𝑣𝑣 = 𝑢𝑢 + 𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎 (Eq5)

Where s = displacement

u = initial velocity

v = final velocity

a = acceleration

t = time taken

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Coursework Assignment
6E4Z1104 Mathematical Methods 1

Assessment
Formative Feedback
Members of the teaching team and will answer queries about the assignment during the timetabled
Workshop classes and in the drop-in Surgery sessions (see your personal timetable for details).
Advice given during these sessions and feedback on any work you present will not count towards
your final grade.

Outside timetable sessions, please email questions to the Teaching Team, the Support Tutors or your
Personal Tutor. The teaching team will not use their office hours to provide one-to-one or small
group assignment support, but a selection of emailed questions, and questions asked during the
timetabled classes will be added to the assignment’s FAQs page.

What is being assessed?

Learning outcomes
Unit Learning Learning Outcome 2: Develop and apply
Outcomes computational skills and techniques to
solve engineering problems.
Learning Outcome 3: Analyse and
interpret numerical data and present
findings in an appropriate format.
Evidence
• Flow chart (Methodology)
• Excel / MatLab code
• Report (structure, graphs,
numerical results etc.)
• Analysis of results and limitations

Assessment GLO1 Apply skills of critical analysis to real-world situations within a defined range of
Criteria contexts
GLO2 Demonstrate a high degree of professionalism characterised by initiative,
creativity, motivation and self-management
GLO4 Find, evaluate, synthesise and use information from a variety of sources

To pass this assessment you have to fully achieve the unit learning outcomes by completing all the
tasks and submitting the two deliverables to an adequate standard.

Your grade will be determined by how well you meet the assessment criteria (see the detailed
grading criteria for this assignment, below).

This assignment will be marked out of 100.

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Coursework Assignment
6E4Z1104 Mathematical Methods 1
Assessment Grading Criteria
Deliverable
Report
→
Weighting
50%
→
Apply skills of critical analysis
Grade to real world situations
range within a defined range of
contexts
You have evaluated and
solved problems,
86%-100% with original and
insightful reference to
theory and practice.
You have evaluated and
solved problems, with
70%-85% insightful and critical
reference to theory and
practice.
You have analysed and
solved problems, with clear
60%-69%
critical reference to theory
and practice.
You have analysed and
solved problems with
50%-59%
reference to theory and
practice.
You have solved problems
with some reference to
40%-49% theory and practice and with
evidence of some critical
reflection.
You have approached
35%-39% problems haltingly or
uncritically.
You have approached
problems with little
20%-34%
reference to theory and
practice.
You have approached
problems with no or almost
0%-19%
no reference to theory and
practice
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Report Report
25% 25%
Demonstrate a high degree of
professionalism e.g. initiative,
Find, evaluate, synthesise and use
creativity, motivation,
professional practice and self
information from a variety of sources
management.
Your project is innovative and has been
There is evidence of your
designed, planned and carried out
ability to work as a mature
meticulously to gather relevant
professional, and that you are
information from an appropriate range of
able to review your own work
primary and secondary sources. You have
critically with respect to
challenged the limits of established
appropriate professional
knowledge in your consideration of the
standards and values.
results and/or outcomes.
There is evidence of your
Your project is innovative and has been
ability to work as a mature
designed, planned and carried out
professional, and that you are
meticulously to gather relevant
able to review your own work
information from an appropriate range of
critically with respect to
primary and secondary sources. You have
appropriate professional
brought critical insight to your analysis.
standards and values.
There is evidence of your You have designed, planned and carried
ability to work effectively and out your project thoroughly to gather
competently with reference to relevant information from an appropriate
professional standards and range of primary and secondary sources.
values, and that you are able to You have evaluated your results and/or
reflect on your own practice outcomes thoroughly and critically.
There is evidence of your
You have designed, planned and carried
ability to work confidently and
out your project accurately using an
competently with reference to
appropriate range of primary and
professional standards and
secondary sources. You have evaluated
values, and that you are able to
your results and/or outcomes carefully.
reflect on your own practice
There is evidence of your
You have designed, planned and carried
ability to work competently
out your project using an appropriate
with reference to professional
range of primary and secondary sources.
standards and values, and that
You have evaluated your results and/or
you are able to reflect on your
outcomes accurately.
own practice
There is insufficient evidence
You have designed, planned and carried
of your ability to work
out your project inadequately using an
competently with reference to
inappropriate range of primary and
professional standards and
secondary sources. You have only partially
values, and that you are able to
evaluated your results and/or outcomes.
reflect on your own practice.
There is very limited evidence
Your project has been badly designed,
of your ability to work
planned and carried out using an
competently with reference to
inappropriate range of primary and
professional standards and
secondary sources, with very limited
values, and that you are able to
evaluation of the results and/or outcomes
reflect on your own practice
There is nor or almost no
evidence of your ability to Your project is very badly designed,
work competently with planned and carried out using
reference to professional inappropriate sources. Your evaluation of
standards and values, and that the results and/or outcomes is wrong or
you are able to reflect on your unacceptable.
own practice.
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Coursework Assignment
6E4Z1104 Mathematical Methods 1

Re-assessment
Note that opportunities to repeat assignments are not automatically provided, and when they are,
the marks obtained may be capped. For more information about the regulations, please contact the
Student Hub.

If you think you are at risk of failing this assignment, please seek advice as soon as possible form
your Personal Tutor or the Support Tutors – with enough notice, there are many ways in which we
can support you and help you to get back on track.

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