EGM3401: Dynamics

Course Topics: Kinematics or particles and rigid bodies, kinetics or particles, kinetics of a system of particles, kinetics of a rigid body, and principles of work, energy, and momentum.

Course Objective: The objective of this course is to provide a thorough and systematic introduction to the subject of dynamics of particles and rigid bodies using a Newton-Euler approach. The course provides a rigorous introduction to kinematics of particles and rigid bodies, kinetics of a particle, kinetics of a system of particles, and kinetics of a rigid body. All development is done in a coordinate-free manner and will be applied to examples in a way that provides insight into the structure of the underlying physical process.

Instructor: Dr. Anil V. Rao, MAE-A 314, E-mail: anilvrao@ufl.edu. Tel: 352-392-5523 (Office)
Teaching Assistants: Begum Senses (E-mail: bgmsenses@ufl.edu) and Fengjin Liu (E-mail: cliu121@ufl.edu)

Lecture: Tuesday Period 4 (10:40 AM to 11:30 AM) and Thursday Periods 4 and 5 (10:40 AM to 12:35 PM)
Room: CSE A101

Discussion Time: Tuesday Period 5 (Immediately After Tuesday Lecture)
Room: CSE 122

Interactive white board videos will be recorded throughout this course to provide you additional resources for learning. As these videos are recorded they will be added to the list shown below. Please click on a link to view a video.

Videos on Theory and Concepts

Introduction to Vectors and Vector Algebra
Reference Frames and Derivation of the Transport Theorem
Position-Velocity-Acceleration-In-Common-Coordinate-Systems

Videos with Solutions to Textbook Problems

Chapter 2 Solutions:

Solution to Question 2-1
Solution to Question 2-2
Solution to Question 2-3
Solution to Question 2-4
Solution to Question 2-5
Solution to Question 2-8
Solution to Question 2-10

The homework assignments are shown below and consist of three (3) theory assignments and seven (7) problem sets. The three theory homework assignments will each be worth four (4) percent of your grade (for a total of 12% of your total grade). The seven problem sets will be each be worth 1.142 percent for a total of 1.142 x 7 = 8 percent of your grade. For each of the problem solving assignments your grade will be based on the grading of one problem that will be chosen at random. Although the entirety of each problem-solving assignment will not be graded, you are expected to do all of the problems on these assignments them because your performance on the exams will depend upon your ability to solve problems. All assignments are due at 3:00 PM on the due date and must be submitted to the homework box that will be placed outside of MAE-A 304.

The exam schedule for the course is given as follows:

All exams will be held in class during a Thursday lecture and will be 1 hour 50 minutes in duration. It is important to note that in this course you will be examined on a balance of both theory and problem solving. Specifically, each exam will consist of 40 percent theory and 60 percent problem-solving. Because of the manner in which the exams are structured, it is extremely important that you understand the theory in addition to just being able to solve problems. Furthermore, because the homework questions take a great deal of time and thought, I urge each of you to do the assignments on the schedule I provide and not wait until the last minute to complete the assignments. If you procrastinate on completing the homework assignments, it will be reflected in your exam and quiz scores.

Regular attendance is expected of all students. In order to ensure attendance, throughout the semester attendance will be randomly taken. If a student is absent from class without a legitimate excuse on any day when attendance was taken, the student will receive a zero for the attendance portion of the course grade. No excuses will be provided for missing a class other than those posted on the official University of Florida Attendance Policies or as found by clicking here.

Grades in this course are determined using the following scale:

Please note that the cutoffs listed above are the worst-case scenario. In other words, I reserve the right to make the cutoffs less stringent from those shown above, but no cutoff will be more stringent from those listed.