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Simple Joys of a 'Hinged Door'

In response to a comment from Unknown, the comment being:  "  But if the events have become passe due to over abundance with ever more magical gizmos, the simpler joys of a hinged door may fail to excite.  So the discovery method needs to be re-tuned to over abundant experiences and heavily flooded information highways". True..., and one of the ways of doing this could be to drill down into these abundant experiences, go beyond the surface.  Continuing with the example of the hinged door, every component of the door could potentially lead towards a magical experience. For example look at materials, and the choices made! Just the door flap itself in different materials for different purposes could unfold at least a dozen materials and manufacturing processes, from simple doors that provide just visual privacy to fire doors that prevent fire from spreading, and this is just the flap! Drilling down in this manner creates multiple non linear...
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Mechanics

As I went through a textbook of Mechanics I saw illustrations of leavers, pulleys, cables, shock absorbers etc in various combinations to demonstrate the play of forces. I am wondering if a student at the first-semester level is able to visualize these mechanisms from the basic two-dimensional representative drawings? I also find the explanations to these diagrams tedious and the maths abrupt. These diagrams and examples are far removed from the objects they encounter in daily lives and it seems to me that textbooks are written by scholars for appreciation from other scholars and not necessarily with the student in mind. Why can't we teach these principals of mechanics using the day to day experience of the students? for example a door a  cantilevered load, a door closer, a chair or table, staircase railings, ceiling fans, etc. etc. We ie Nickey and me are now developing a three-legged stool that has the three legs hinged to the seat so that the legs can splay out f...
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Create relationship between Engineering Drawing and Workshop Practice

I am writing these blogs in collaboration with my colleague Nicky Joshi. Together we are trying to make engineering education at the undergraduate level a journey of discoveries such that academic chalk and talk reinforces and fills in the gaps between discoveries instead of the other way round.  To understand the concepts of fits and tolerances and clearly see the relationship between a technical drawing and the workshop processes involved divide the class into groups of two each. Give each group a simple brief for example draw a plate of so and so size of so and so thickness with a hole of Dia so and so located at so and so point and a also draw a shaft that will fit in the hole such that it is sliding fit , or tight fit etc. The idea being that each pair take reference from each others drawing and make the drawing complete with all dimensions tolerances etc having all the requirements of a good shop drawing. The discovery of fits and tolerances should be left to the studen...
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Teach Engineering Graphics to First Semester Students of Engineering

It is best to start this teaching process with exposing students to good quality technical drawings of simple objects like nuts and bolts, shafts, plates with holes drilled in them, simple cast objects, tools, etc. These objects could be picked up from a hardware store. The drawings should be detailed with all the elements expected of a good shop drawing. Each student should be given an object and its technical drawing and asked to spend time studying it. In a class of 40 there could be say10 different objects with 4 of each (more variety the better). Every student should also have with him a Vernier Caliper, Micrometer, Steel Scale and Measuring Tape. Start with explaining how to use the vernier caliper and micrometer and guide the students to discover how completely and accurately the drawing represents the object. Concepts like plan, elevation, side views, sections as well as nuances of dimensioning, tolerances and finishes should emerge out of discussions in the classroom....
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