Engineering Mechanics: Dynamics

Resources for Engineering Mechanics: Dynamics - for more information about the course, please see course outlines.

The MLC Drop-In Centre

Students in Dynamics are definitely allowed to visit the MLC Drop-In Centre to discuss the maths that is related to Dynamics. We don't necessarily know all the physics concepts and terminology, so make sure you bring your notes so that you can make sense of the physics while we help you make sense of the maths!

Assumed knowledge

Dynamics is a course about physics, but most of the problems you solve will be solved through a process of using the physics ideas to create equations, then using derivatives, integrals and algebra to solve those equations.

Maths skills you need to succeed in Dynamics are:

  • Solving equations by substituting equations into each other
  • Trigonometry of right angled triangles (and non-right-angled triangles)
  • Implicit differentiation and using related rates
  • Integration and solving differential equations

Trigonometry

These two handouts are useful for revising trigonometry:

This revision seminar was given for students in Maths IM in Semester 1 2019. The first section was about related rates, specifically on strategies to take the information presented and turn it into equations connecting the rates.

This revision seminar was given for students in Maths IM in Semester 1 2016. David covered several examples of calculating rates in related rates situations.

Differential equations and integrals

This PDF handout has a list of common derivatives from Maths IA, which is useful for doing integrals.

    his revision seminar was given for students in Maths IM in Semester 1 2016, was on differential equations. David discussed separable differential equations, and also various rules of integration used in Maths 1M.

    This seminar was given for students in Maths IA in Sem 1 2021 and covered the techniques of integration (substitution, by parts, trig substitution, partial fractions and upper and lower sums).