MEC3453: Dynamics II

Exam - 75%
Tutorials - 15%
Technical Essay - 10%

I have mixed feelings about this unit. It could be very satisfying or disappointing depending on your point of view. The content itself is very interesting and useful in my opinion so let me list them first of all.

-Kinematics and 3D motion of rigid bodies
This part is essentially a repetition of Dynamics I with the addition of rotating frame of references. It is not difficult...just a little tedious.

-Vibrations of systems with 1 degree of freedom
I am sure you've seen ODE's by now so you should be fine. However, what's really required from you is to model a dynamical system which means you need to use the Lagrangian mechanics more often than the Newtonian mechanics. It seems difficult in the beginning but one you get the hang of it everything becomes easier.

-Periodic and non periodic oscillations
This is where you need some more mathematical tools such as Fourier Transformations.

-Systems with multi degrees of freedom
This is where everything gets messy. Solutions to these problems are very long and there is always an exam question on this. It is very easy once you get the hang of it. Eigenvalues and eigenvectors are so important here so make sure you brush up your maths before this point of semester.

-Vibration of beams
Make sure you are good with the derivations of beam equations.

I couldn't somehow 'resonate' with the lecturer very well. It feels like he puts a distance with students and is a bit egoistic in my opinion. Sure you can get a help from him but you might regret it. Overall, there is still room for improvement in this unit and I think it will get better in following years.

Wing Chiu

Yes, without solutions.

3 out of 5

Yes

You will be pairing up with someone to write this essay. Basically, you pick a topic on vibration and write an essay on it. It is easily doable within 1 week as you only write 2000 words. However, the marking is very harsh on this one so make sure you know what you're talking about and reference everything properly.

No, everything is covered in the lectures.

There is not much to talk about here. Usual engineering tutorials...

3x1 hour lecture, 2 hour tutorial

Semester 1 2016.

72 - D