Fall 2017

MEEN 221 Section 505: Statics and Particle Dynamics

KEY INFO
Meeting Times: Monday & Wednesday 5:45-7pm
Location: RICH 114
Course Credits: Three (3-0)
Required or Elective: Required course
Prerequisites: MATH 251 or 253 or registration therein; PHYS 218

INSTRUCTION
Instructor: Elissa Morris, PhD Candidate in Mechanical Engineering, Graduate Teaching Fellow
Email: elissam@tamu.edu
Office Location/Hours: Doherty 309C, Monday & Wednesday 10am-12pm or by appointment

Teaching Assistant: Seyed Ali Keshavarz

Email: keshavarz@tamu.edu
Office Location/Hours: ENPH 408, TBA

Peer Teacher: TBA

Assigned for grading/classroom help and is paid with funds from differential tuition.

COURSE MATERIALS & RESOURCES

Required Text: online eText/homework to be purchased through ecampus – “Engineering Mechanics:
Statics and Dynamics”, 14th edition, R.C. Hibbeler, Pearson, Prentice Hall.
Required Course Tools: An internet-enabled device (smart phone, tablet or fully charged laptop) to access lecture
slides/participate in online in-class activities; supplies necessary (engineering paper,
calculator, pen/pencil, straight edge) to submit in-class work
Online Resources: This course will use eCampus to organize learning materials, issue/collect assignments,
record grades, etc. In addition, Pearson’s Mastering Engineering website is used for all
homework assignments. See Section 5 of this syllabus for further information.

1. Course Description & Schedule

Course Description:
(3-0) Credit 3. Application of the fundamental principles of Newtonian mechanics to the statics and dynamics of particles;
equilibrium of trusses, frames, beams and other rigid bodies.

Class time will primarily be used for lecture and active learning activities, where students work on problems. Students are
expected to complete all other assignments outside of class time. Work outside of class will include studying the textbook
along with completing online homework assignments and quizzes. For this 3 credit hours engineering course, the
expected workload outside of class time is approximately 10 hours per week.

Course Topics Schedule:

The course schedule can be found on eCampus and includes course topics, assigned readings, homework, and due dates.

2. Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Identify, isolate and idealize the system of interest for the application/process
a. Decide whether the system is to be thought of as a particle, collection of particles or rigid body.
b. Draw a free body diagram of the system showing external forces and moments.
2. Identify the nature of the connections between bodies and create an idealized representation for it.
a. Recognize support conditions for idealized connections such as a pin, hinge, roller, etc.
b. Handle non-ideal connections and empirical laws.
3. Convert the task from the real world into a symbolic representation.
4. Develop equilibrium relationships for non-accelerating particles acted on by forces.

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5. Develop equilibrium relationships for non-accelerating two or three dimensional rigid bodies.
a. Calculate the direct (resultant forces) and rotational (resultant moments) effects of external stimuli on a
rigid body.
6. Identify the need for additional empirical laws such as Hooke’s Law and Coulomb Friction to complete the system of
equations.
7. Estimate external loads and find the internal forces in frames, trusses, beams and other structures while evaluating
their structural safety.
a. Analyze systems of interconnected rigid bodies.
b. Find the forces generated by the constraints.
c. Find internal shear and bending moments for beams.
d. Analyze systems with non-ideal constraints, under the action of dry friction.
8. Obtain system information (position, velocity, etc.) at a given location or time knowing the system information at a
different location or time.
a. Use Newton’s Laws to describe the motion of the system.
b. Choose a suitable coordinate system to work in such as Cartesian, polar or path coordinates.
c. Express the position, velocity and acceleration in the chosen coordinates.
d. Use Work/Energy to determine velocity or position of a particle in motion.
9. Find the loads and accelerations for rigid bodies under planar motion.
a. Calculate centroids and moments of inertia of bodies.
b. Calculate the effect of forces and motion of a particle.

3. ABET Requirements
Contribution of Course to Requirement of ABET Criterion 5:
Subject Semester hrs Subject Semester hrs Subject Semester hrs
Mathematics Engineering Science 3 General
Basic Science Engineering Design

Relationship of Course to Program Outcomes:

ABET Program Outcome
 x a. ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science and engineering
 x e. ability to identify, formulate and solve engineering problems
 x k. ability to use the techniques, skills and modern engineering tools necessary for
engineering practice

4. Assessment & Grading

Your progress toward achieving the learning outcomes will be assessed in the following ways:

 Exams: Three exams will be administered for this course. They are closed book and closed notes. Only hand-held
calculators are allowed (see Section 7 of this syllabus for calculator guidelines).
 Online Homework: These assignments will be through Pearson’s Mastering Engineering website that accompanies
the textbook. The due date for each assignment will be specified in the online homework itself. Check the
homework file on ecampus to make sure you do all the required parts of each assignment. No late homework is
accepted. No homework score will be dropped when determining your final average.
 In-Class Work: The in-class problems will be like tutorial sessions, where you will work through problems. You can
collaborate as a group and get help from the instructor, the TA, and the peer teacher, but you will have to submit
your own answer for each problem on paper to receive credit. Two lowest scores for in-class work will be dropped
when determining your final average.
 Quizzes: Reading quizzes will related to the required reading assignments. The reading quizzes will be posted on
eCampus and must be done 30 minutes prior to the start of class. One lowest score for quizzes will be dropped when
determining your final average.

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Course Grade Breakdown:

Exam #1 25%
Exam #2 25%
Exam #3 25%
Online Homework 10%
In-Class Work 7.5%
Quizzes 7.5%
Total 100%

Grading scale:
90-100 = A, 80-90 = B, 70-80 = C, 60-70 = D, below 60 = F
Note: The grading scale is a guideline, and I reserve the right to change the exact cutoffs as I see fit.

Exam Schedule:
Exam Date Time Location
Exam #1 Thursday, 10/5/17 7-9pm TBA
Exam #2 Thursday, 11/2/17 7-9pm TBA
Exam #3 Friday, 12/8/17 7:30-9:30am RICH 114

5. Course Technology
eCampus:
This course will use the TAMU eCampus (powered by Blackboard Learn) as the virtual classroom. Within eCampus, you
can find the course topics schedule and all course-related content (including but not limited to course materials, videos,
assignments, grades, etc.). Recommended browsers for eCampus access are Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome (Internet
Explorer is not recommended). For additional information on supported browsers for eCampus, please visit
http://tx.ag/eCampusBrowserSupport.

To login to eCampus:
 Go to http://ecampus.tamu.edu
 Click the login button
 Use your TAMU NetID and password to login

Once logged into eCampus, you will see a list of all courses for which you are enrolled in for the semester. To navigate to
this course, click on the name of the course. If you have any problems logging into the course, please see Technology
Support in Section 6 below.

Pearson’s Mastering Engineering:

This course requires the use of Pearson’s Mastering Engineering website for all homework assignments. A “Get Started”
guide for this resource can be found on eCampus.

6. Academic Support
In addition to contacting the instructor for course content related questions, there are a variety of campus resources for
course support and general academic support.

MEEN 221 Help Desk:

The Mechanical Engineering department will provide a common Help Desk for MEEN 221/225. Help Desk will be in ENPH
408 and a schedule will be announced in class and posted on eCampus.

Engineering Academic & Student Affairs (EASA):

The mission of EASA is: “To further the mission of the college of engineering to recruit, retain and develop successful
students to be leaders for the 21st Century.” For more information, visit https://engineering.tamu.edu/easa.

Undergraduate Studies Support & Academic Success Center:

Find academic coaching, transfer student programs, workshops and courses to help you succeed. For a list of available
services, visit http://us.tamu.edu/Undergraduate-Studies and/or http://successcenter.tamu.edu/.
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Technology Support:
For technological issues related to eCampus and software, visit the student eCampus Help Website –
http://ecampus.tamu.edu/student-help.php, or contact the TAMU Help Desk – (979) 845-8300, email:
helpdesk@tamu.edu, http://hdc.tamu.edu/index.php (online chat available).

Note: Technology issues are not an excuse for missing a course requirement – make sure your computer is configured
correctly and address issues well in advance of deadlines.

7. Course Policies
Attendance Policy:
All students are expected to attend class. Quizzes along with in-class work will be given and students who miss class will
receive a grade of ZERO for the quiz and in-class work. The only exception is for University Excused Absences (see
http://student-rules.tamu.edu/rule07). Proper documentation and completed work which was missed must be
submitted within one week following an excused absence. In accordance with recent changes to Texas A&M University
Student Rule 7, be aware that in this class a confirmation note from your medical provider is required for any “injury or
illness that is too severe or contagious for the student to attend class”, even if the absence is for less than 3 days (see
7.1.6.2 Injury or illness less than three days.).

Re-grading Policy:
If you find mistakes or other issues with homework, in-class work, quizzes, or exams, you need to request in writing a
review of your assignment within a week of the item being returned to you. This policy is to ensure that changes can be
made in a consistent manner if multiple requests are made on the same issue.

Calculators for Exams:

Any hand-held calculator, including a graphing calculator, may be used for in-class quizzes and exams. Calculators with
WiFi access must have the WiFi feature disabled during the exam. As a minimum, it is suggested that you use a hand-held
calculator approved for the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering exam (http://ncees.org/exams/calculator/).

Communication Expectations:
The best way to contact the instructor is via email. Students generally can expect a response within one business day of
sending email, though some sporadic exceptions may occur. I respond to emails Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Collaboration:
I encourage collaboration (except on exams!). From my perspective, you will learn far more if you receive a small tip that
enables you to complete the assignment than you would by leaving the assignment incomplete. Since my primary concern
is whether you learn the material, I see this type of collaborative interaction as healthy and desirable. Furthermore, it
parallels the real world, where you will collaborate with a team of other engineers (not to mention scientists, managers,
lawyers, etc.). Naturally, there must be limits to how much you are permitted to help one another. The general rule for
this is that the work you submit must be your own, but it is acceptable for you to receive tips from others on how to
complete the work.
Examples of permissible collaboration include:
 Discussing general strategies for solving a problem
 Pointing fellow students to useful website and other references
 Discussing how to interpret results

Examples of behavior that is not permissible (and possibly considered as academic misconduct; note: this is NOT an
exhaustive list):
 Copying any part of another student’s work
 Solving a problem together and submitting two copies of the solution

Collaboration versus Academic Misconduct:

Collaboration involves an exchange of ideas rather than complete works. It is common for students to become stuck on an
assignment despite being able to do most of it. It IS NOT misconduct to receive tips and help on small portions of an
assignment. However, it IS misconduct to submit someone else’s work as your own. If you are unclear about the boundary
between collaboration and misconduct, you should talk to the instructor before proceeding further.

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Academic Integrity Policy:

Why it is important
Technical competence: I want you to be able to perform well technically as an engineer. I want each of you to be able to
perform well individually.
Personal integrity: I want you to be ethically competent. While you may be able to succeed in the short term by being
unethical, just as you may get good grades by cheating in school, long-term success can only be achieved with ethical
behavior. Cheating damages your self-worth and is a behavior based on lying to yourself and others.
Fairness: Those who cheat have an unwarranted advantage over those who don’t.
The Aggie Honor Code: I am also bound by the Aggie Honor code. I will not tolerate those who cheat.

What I Will Do
1. I will do everything I reasonably can to prevent cheating.
2. When I determine a cheating violation has occurred I will (a) report it through the Aggie Honor System Office (AHSO),
and (b) punish the students involved.

What Constitutes Academic Dishonesty

 During an examination or quiz, looking at another student's work or using external aids (for example, books, notes,
conversation with others, or electronic devices) unless specifically allowed in advance by instructor.
 Working on a quiz while not physically in the classroom or providing help for another to do this.
 Acquiring answers for any assigned work or examination from any unauthorized source. This includes obtaining
information from students who have previously taken the examination.
 Knowingly allowing another to copy from one's paper during a quiz, examination or test.
 In this course, getting help on homework is not considered dishonest. You must work the homework individually but
you may ask instructors, TA/graders or other students for help. However, using a solution manual in any form (i.e.
searching for the solution online) when doing homework is considered cheating.

Reporting an Academic Violation – What Happens

 I will report the violation to the AHSO, regardless of the magnitude of the violation.
 The report is submitted online and includes (1) the details of the violation, (2) an election to handle autonomously or
refer to the Honor Council, (3) specification of sanction, and (4) student acknowledgement of acceptance/rejection of
violation and/or sanction. You have the right to appeal to the AHSO.
 Importantly, you are now logged into the AHSO system. If there is a second violation, you will automatically go before
the Honor Council.
 I will treat students giving unauthorized help the same as students receiving help.

8. Institutional Policies
Aggie Honor Code:
“An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do.” Upon accepting admission to Texas A&M University, a
student immediately assumes a commitment to uphold the Honor Code, to accept responsibility for learning and to follow
the philosophy and rules of the Honor System. Students will be required to state their commitment on examinations,
research papers, and other academic work. Ignorance of the rules does not exclude any member of the Texas A&M
University community from the requirements or the processes of the Honor System. For additional information please
visit: http://www.tamu.edu/aggiehonor/.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Policy Statement:

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights
protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be
guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you
have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact Disability Services, currently located in the Disability
Services building at the Student Services at White Creek complex on west campus or call 979-845-1637. For additional
information, visit http://disability.tamu.edu.

9. Disclaimer
Changes to the syllabus, schedule, and/or assignments may be made at any time during the semester at the instructor’s
discretion. Students will be notified of any changes and revised documents may be provided at the instructor’s discretion.
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