Course Handbook for Applied Math 1A – Sept2024 – Dec 2024

UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI

School /Faculty Faculty of Science and Technology

Department Department of Mathematics
Programme BSc. Engineering
Course Code SMA 3113/ 3173
Course Title Applied Mathematics 1A
Course Chagpar, F. Z.
Developers
Course Chagpar, F.Z.
Facilitators
Email: [email protected]
Required Laptop, desktop or phone.
materials Internet access
Course The course homepage is on SOMAS. Title: SMA3113/3173: Applied Mathematics
Homepage 1A
All course information, handouts, lecture notes and video lectures will be available
on this platform.
Welcome Welcome to Applied Math 1A, an introductory course in classical mechanics for
message first-year undergraduates enrolled for the degree, BSc. Engineering.

The science of classical mechanics establishes an important principle of cause and

effect, wherein the changes in a body’s motion arise from the application of
physical forces.
Newton’s Laws of Motion established the scientific principle of analysing observed
phenomenon through the use of clearly articulated mathematical models rather
than through intuition.

These concepts are so important to the modern branches of science and

engineering that we require all of our Engineering undergraduates to take applied
math 1A regardless of whatever course they intend to specialize in.

In many high-school-level physics courses, mechanics is taught as a set of formulas

to memorize for a series of standard situations. This course is different. Here, you
will learn a set of fundamental principles that you can use to apply to unfamiliar
situations and analyse them rather than just situations that you studied
previously.

The course is centred around Pre-reading tasks, live sessions of teaching/learning

(Face to face or on MS Teams) and individual and group assignments. The live
sessions are very interactive and attendance is highly encouraged.

You will find the detailed course schedules and content including topic
introductions in the sections below.

Welcome once again to Applied Math 1A. I look forward to journeying this course
with you all 

Description Applied Math 1A is an introduction to Classical Mechanics. It covers the basics of

Newtonian Mechanics. The noun “mechanics” here refers to the motion of
objects: we will study how the motion of an object can be understood and
predicted in terms of the forces that are acting on the object. The adjective
“classical,” in this context, means that we will restrict our study to speeds that are
slow compared to the speed of light, so we will not have to take into account the
effects of relativity. It also means that we will restrict our study to objects which
are generally large, compared to atoms or molecules, so that we will not need to
consider the effects of quantum theory. Fortunately, almost any situation we are
likely to meet in everyday life satisfies these restrictions, so the results of classical
mechanics have a wide variety of applications in science and engineering.
Audience Applied Math 1A assumes a strong background in high school level physics and
Description mathematics. We introduce and make extensive use of calculus as needed, so a
previous course in calculus is not a prerequisite. However, it is a rigorous and
technically challenging course aimed at Engineering undergraduates.

Delivery Mode This course will be delivered in blended format i.e. it will have both asynchronous
and synchronous content.
The Homepage for the course contains a coherent set of lessons/topics that will
take you through all the basic concepts of classical mechanics.
In each of these lessons, you will find a series of short recorded videos that will
help you understand concepts, mathematical derivations, and problem-solving
techniques.

In addition, you will find many other useful resources including lecture notes,
online textbooks, many worked example problems, and topic-wise problem sets.

Every week, there will be a 2-hour live synchronous tutorial session where the
students get the chance to raise their questions/queries regarding that week’s
lesson.

You should go through the lesson’s videos, Readings and other tasks before
coming for the tutorial session to achieve the maximum benefit from the live
sessions.

Course Objective The main objectives of this course are to ENABLE LEARNING ABOUT:
1. the basic principles of classical mechanics (statics and dynamics)
2. the theoretical framework used to describe and predict the motions of
bodies.
3. the proper techniques for the solution of physical problems

Note: Topic-wise objectives will be elaborated within each topic

Expected In Particular, by the end of this course, students should be able to:
Learning 1. Describe the terms used in Newtonian mechanics
Outcomes 2. Solve a variety of concept and application problems.
3. Apply the concepts learned and problem solving skills into new situations
4. Collaborate in groups to solve a high-level engineering problem.

Brief Content Here is an outline of the topics to be learned through the weeks of the semester
Description
1. Week 1 (Introduction)
2. Week 2 (Vectors)
3. Week 3 (Statics and equilibrium)
4. Week 4 (Moments and Couples)
5. Week 5 (Center of Gravity and Moment of Inertia)
6. Week 6 (First Review {Week 1-5})
7. Week 7 (one- dimensional Kinematics)
8. Week 8 (Motion in two dimensions: Relative motion, Projectile motion)
9. Week 9 (Newton’s laws of motion)
10. Week 10 (Reading Week + Continuous Assessment)
11. Week 11 (Friction and Uniform circular motion)
12. Week 12 (Introduction to frameworks)
13. Week 13 (Final Review {Week 7-12})

Note: Detailed content will be elaborated topic by topic

Teaching and The course is broken into 13 weeks, as listed above. Each week contains lessons
Learning on distinct topics. Each lesson consists of a series of videos explaining the topic,
Methods which are meant to be viewed in sequence.

All videos can be accessed on the "Week" page corresponding to that lesson.

A homework sheet will be put out every week and solutions posted a week later.
You will mark these yourself using the solution sheet.

In addition, after every topic or two, an online quiz will be due. This homework will
typically consist of five or six concept questions and 4-5 problems. These will
appear as online quizzes on SOMAS and have a deadline. After the deadline, the
 feedback will be availed immediately. A selection of these online quizzes will be
graded.

Tip for success

Work more frequently. Do your homework in frequent, small pieces. Do a few

problems one night, a few problems on another. This ensures that any insights you
have will stay in your brain, helping you understand and remember things better in
the long run.

Group work. Scientists and engineers work in groups as well as alone. Social
interactions are critical to their success. Most good ideas grow out of discussions
with colleagues. This course encourages collaborative teamwork. As you study
together, help your partners, ask each other questions, and critique your group
assignment. Teach each other! You can learn a great deal by teaching others.

You will form groups of five to six for collaborative work. If you are not satisfied
with the way your group is working, first try to discuss it with your group
members. If you cannot arrive at a satisfactory solution, then discuss the problems
with your instructor.

Learner The synchronous tutorial sessions each week are designed to clarify any gaps,
Support Plan misconceptions you may have regarding the lessons learned that week. You may
also seek clarification and hints on solving the problem sets here.

You can always use the forum or discussion boards on SOMAS to ask and discuss
any concepts and problems.

In addition, you can always write to me on the SOMAS platform or via email.
Resources/ Each topic has a folder on the homepage which contains Readings, links to
Teaching and Internet-based readings, PDF files of lecture notes, YouTube videos, self-recorded
learning lectures, interactive quizzes, and slide presentations.
materials
Course
Assessment Plan Activities Percentages
Mid-term quiz (face-to-face) 10%
Final Exam (face-to-face) 70%
Online Quizzes (online) 10%
Group Assignment /Presentation 10%

Supporting All asynchronous learning will be on SOMAS, which include recorded videos, pdf
Technologies notes, PowerPoint slides, online quizzes, polls, discussion forums and Wikis.

Core texts 1. An Introduction to Mathematics for Engineers: Mechanics By Stephen Lee,

Hodder Education.
2. Engineering Mechanics (Statics) By Bedford and Fowler, Pearson
3. Engineering Mechanics (Dynamics) By Bedford and Fowler, Pearson
4. University Physics By Young and Freedman, Pearson
Additional Each Week’s folder contains resources for extra reading such as links to YouTube
Readings videos, PDF files, and excerpts from other literary sources