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ISSN 2690-3679 (Print) ISSN 2690-3687 (Online) 

Vol. 5, No. 2, 2024 

www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/eshs 

1 

Original Paper 

The Merits of Teaching Basic Courses in Engineering 

Curriculum 

Atef A. ATA
1*

 

1 
Department of Engineering Mathematics and Physics, Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University, 

Alexandria (21544), Egypt 

* 
Atef A. ATA, Department of Engineering Mathematics and Physics, Faculty of Engineering, 

Alexandria University, Alexandria (21544), Egypt 

 

Received: March 26, 2024         Accepted: April 7, 2024        Online Published: April 18, 2024 

doi:10.22158/eshs.v5n2p1                         URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.22158/eshs.v5n2p1 

 

Abstract 

This paper tries to answer the question frequently asked by engineering students, why we are studying 

basic subjects such as Mathematics, Mechanics and Physics. Engineering students study these basic 

subjects in addition to some other courses such as computer programming, production, chemistry and 

some humanity courses during their first year of study as a preparatory year for all engineering 

disciplines. Students are expecting to study their major subjects in the first year of study when they 

enroll in faculty of engineering around the world. It is almost impossible to teach advanced subjects 

such as fluid mechanics, mechanical vibration, automatic control, modeling and simulation and 

robotics without prior knowledge of the basic courses. The students could not recognize in their first 

year of study that understanding basic mathematics and mechanics skills help them a lot in getting the 

knowledge of advanced courses easily and effectively. For example, all automatic control courses need 

some modelling techniques which the students can gain by studying engineering mechanics and 

calculus during their first level of study. Basic knowledge of Newton’s second law of motion and basic 

rules of calculus are very important in achieving satisfactory understanding of the advanced topics in 

all disciplines. Some of the advanced topics for example robot Jacobian is based on partial derivatives 

and the equations of motion of a multi-joints robot manipulator are based on Lagrange’s equation. The 

students cannot understand subjects such as heat transfer and thermal power stations and fluid 

mechanics without basic knowledge of physics.  

Keywords 

engineering, education, curriculum, mechnics, basic, merits, learning 

 



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1. Introduction 

Teaching engineering mechanics with its two components statics and dynamics is very important for all 

engineering disciplines. It is almost impossible to find an engineering curriculum without mechanics 

subject. Some universities teach mechanics for one semester, others are teaching mechanics for the first 

two semesters. Alexandria University in Egypt teaches mechanics for three semester statics, dynamics 

of particle and rigid body dynamics respectively. It should be noted that the engineering mechanics 

course is one of the basic courses in civil engineering as well. It is a bridge between public courses, 

professional basic courses and professional engineering courses (Lin, 2021).  

Due to the importance of mechanics in engineering curriculum, some universities offer the course in 

the form of lectures and tutorials while others offer the course as lectures and laboratory sessions. 

Bernhard (2000) presented the efforts in establishing Microcomputer Based Laboratory MBL for 

mechanics course at Linkoping University in Sweden. The main objective of the Laboratory is to 

promote conceptual change in mechanics. In MBL students perform real experimental, not simulated 

experiments using various types of sensors (motion, force, torque, light, temperature, sound, proximity) 

connected to a computer via an interface. The results and graphs are displayed in real-time to bridge the 

gap between real experiments and the theoretical information. Huang et al. (2020) presented a new 

strategy in teaching engineering mechanics by integrating the subject of optimization theory into 

mechanics modelling using normal modelling techniques. The main objective of this integration is to 

promote the students’ structural optimization modelling skills to enhance their understanding of the basic 

concepts in mechanics and mathematics and master a general method for practical problem solving. The 

effectiveness of the proposed strategy is demonstrated by the “six principles” for designing 

thought-revealing activities and the feedback from all participants in the course. Montes et al. (2023) 

demonstrated how the propaedeutic subjects, such as mathematics and/or physics in degrees that 

combine the need for technical knowledge with creative skills, can promote creative processes of an 

architectural project. They developed the concept of equilibrium challenge and adapted it to Physics 

subject and create an interaction with other subjects as well. They presented challenges that include 

experiments with physical concepts and some other learning outcome from different subjects such as 

mathematics, introduction to architecture, drawing, or history of art. 

This paper will elaborate on this idea and focuses on the importance of teaching basic engineering 

subjects such as engineering mechanics in understanding advanced subjects in engineering curriculum 

in all disciplines. The material of the paper is based on the long experience of teaching basic 

engineering subjects such as engineering mechanics and mathematics for undergraduate students and 

advanced subjects such as robotics and modelling and simulation for postgraduate students. Some 

problems faced and possible solutions related to this matter will also be highlighted.  

 

 



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2. Discussion 

Engineering students learn statics during their first semester to enhance their understanding about 

equilibrium and how engineers can achieve it in all engineering applications. Newton’s first and third 

laws furnish the basis for action and reaction and how to stabilize engineering structures in every 

application. This course will expand the students’ knowledge about the conditions for equilibrium for 

what they can see around them in our daily life. The concept of action and reaction will help them in 

understanding higher subjects in advanced semesters and to be ready to study dynamics in their next 

semester.  

There is no doubt that dynamics of particle and rigid body is essential for all engineering students. The 

fruit of the dynamics course is the determination of the equation of motion for any dynamical systems 

either in translation or rotation motion. Equation of motion is a relation between mass, force and 

acceleration in translation motion and inertia, torque and angular acceleration in rotation motion. In 

deriving equation of motion students learn the concept of momentum and energy principle and the 

difference between them and how to apply each concept to find the equation of motion in any moving 

object. Once the equation of motion is determined, student can compromise between different 

parameters to properly select the best values for the optimal performance. During this course the 

engineering students learn how to apply Newton’s second law of motion, D’Alembert principle of 

dynamic equilibrium and Lagrange’s Equation as tools in higher engineering subjects. 

Dynamics course is the secret word in understanding many engineering subjects in higher semesters. 

These subjects include but not limited to fluid mechanics, machine design, mechanical vibration, theory 

of machines, automatic control, modelling and simulation, sensors and actuators theory of structures 

and final year’s projects. In subjects such as automatic control, mechanical vibration and robotics, 

finding the equations of motion is very crucial in designing control strategy for the moving objects. 

Without mathematical model, of objects either in translation or rotation motion, it is very hard to design 

the controller using linear control theory. In the absence of mathematical models, some other control 

strategies such as Neural Networks, Fuzzy Logic and Genetic Algorithms can be applied. In the subject 

of modelling and simulation of dynamical systems, the modelling techniques such as Newton’s second 

law of motion, Lagrange equation and Hamilton’s principle have great contribution in understanding 

the subject.  

For the final year’s project, students are required to integrate their knowledge and come up with some 

innovative ideas as a working project. In most of the cases, students need to do a force analysis for their 

structure to make sure that their project structure is stable and will not collapse under the prescribed 

loads. They can apply their conceptual understanding and knowledge of equilibrium of frames and 

machines to design their platform. If the project contains moving objects, deriving the equations of 

motion is essential to select the proper parameters of the project to satisfy the required needs such as 

velocity, wheels dimensions and actuator sizes. Also, the equations of motions of the moving objects is 



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very important to draw the block diagram and apply linear control theory to control the motion of the 

moving object. It should be noted that it is difficult to start teaching design early in the curriculum, 

because a context in which design can be taught is not available. A degree of student dissatisfaction was 

apparent due to the absence of engineering in the first two years (Belytschko, Bayliss, Brinson, Carr, 

Kath, Krishnaswamy, Moran, Nocedal, & Peshkin, 1997). 

As a concluding remark, engineering mechanics helps in most of the engineering curricula for different 

engineering courses and applications. Table 1 shows some of the engineering courses that depend on 

the understanding of engineering mechanics in getting full benefits by students. 

 

Table 1. Some of the Courses that Depend on Engineering Mechanics in Different Engineering 

Disciplines 

Courses Mechanical 

Engineering 

Electrical 

Engineering 

Civil 

Engineering 

Mechatronic 

Engineering 

Marine 

Engineering 

Fluid Mechanics √ √ √ √ √ 

Theory of 

Machines 

√   √ √ 

Machine Design √   √ √ 

Mechanical 

Vibration 

√ √  √ √ 

Modelling and 

Simulation 

√ √ √ √ √ 

Automatic 

Control 

√ √ √ √ √ 

Sensors and 

Actuators 

 √  √  

Theory of 

Structures 

√ √ √ √ √ 

Final Year’s 

Project 

√ √ √ √ √ 

 

One of the merits of teaching engineering mechanics is increasing the student’s awareness of how the 

application of the theoretical information can lead to an interesting advanced technological projects. 

This makes the students anxious to learn more basic knowledge to apply and answer the frequently 

asked question why we are studying these basic subjects. For instance, the basic knowledge of a 

two-force member, equilibrium of particle and equilibrium of rigid body, wonderful structures and 

trusses such as bridges, hanging bridges, communication towers, electric distribution towers, factory 



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and house roofs, advertisement panels, etc. can be designed and implemented. In order to design a 

moving object ranging from baby toys to a complicated industrial manipulator, the equation of motion 

should be derived using either Newton’s second law of motion or Lagrange’s equation. The instructors 

can always refer to these great applications as a results when teaching the basic knowledge to enhance 

the students’ desire to appreciate what they are studying. 

 

References 

Belytschko, T., Bayliss, A., Brinson, C., Carr, S., Kath, W., Krishnaswamy, S., Moran, B., Nocedal, J. 

& Peshkin M. (1997). Mechanics in the Engineering First Curriculum at Northwestern University. 

Int. J. Engineering Education, 13(6), 457-472. 

Bernhard, J. (2000). Teaching engineering mechanics courses using active engagement methods. 

Physics Teaching in Engineering Education (PTEE 2000), Budapest. 

Huang, Z., Wen, M., Yang, T., & Fan, B. (2020). An effective teaching strategy for engineering 

mechanics to develop structural optimization modeling skills of undergraduates. International 

Journal of Mechanical Engineering Education, 48(3), 271-283. DOI: 10.1177/0306419018821293 

Lin, R. (2021). Teaching Reform of Engineering Mechanics Course Based on OBE Mode with 

Computer Aid. Journal of Physics: Conference Series MACE 2020, IOP Publishing, 1-5, 

doi:10.1088/1742-6596/1744/3/032207 

Montés, N., Hilario, L., Rivera, J., López, A., Ferrer, T., Verdejo, P., Ignacio Juan, I., & Ábalos, A. 

(2023). The Equilibrium Challenge, a New Way to Teach Engineering Mechanics in Architecture 

Degrees, Education. Sciences., 13, 398, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13040398 


