Abstract
This paper provides a description of an undergraduate course on vibration, given to second and third year students at Bristol university in the UK. The course, and my teaching philosophy, were developed over more than 30 years. The lectures were given in two 20-hour courses which were supported by an equal number of examples classes. Students were provided with a series of question sheets which contained questions from previous examination papers. In addition, laboratory classes were provided to give the students “hands on” experience on how to excite, control, measure, and to interpret various vibrating systems. The first set of lectures began with the analysis of a single degree of freedom system, adding different forcing functions and more degrees of freedom. The second set of lectures introduced continuous systems, consisting of bars, beams, and plates. The limitations of reality, particularly boundary conditions, was emphasized. Wherever possible, some artifact was taken to the lecture amplify the mathematics. I have interleaved into the presentation some of my teaching philosophy and how it is important in a heavily mathematical subject such as vibration to teach rather than to try and impress the students as to how clever is their lecturer. Finally, if the lecturer does not enjoy giving the lectures, the students will not receive that “extra” which distinguishes a good lecture from a bad lecture, and also distinguishes a good lecture from reading a text book.
Highlights
This paper provides a description of an undergraduate course on vibration, given to second and third year students at Bristol University in the UK
I have interleaved into the presentation some of my teaching philosophy and how it is important in a heavily mathematical subject such as vibration to teach rather than to try and impress the students as to how clever is their lecturer
My lecture course was developed over many years and you see above the finished product
Summary
As this is a personal account, I ask you to forgive me for using I, me instead of a more formal mode of writing. Vibration has many opportunities for lazy questions, but these do not draw out any understanding of the subject In both my courses, I gave out a crib sheet containing all the basic equations [and their solutions] early in the course and told the students that an identical crib sheet would be given out in the exams. This defines the detuned frequency where the first mass is at rest while the second mas s moves to exactly balance the excitation In certain cases, this is a very useful phenomenon and can be used in practice with great effect. The mode shapes can be determined by substituting 1 and 2 in turn into the above equations
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
