Advanced Approach to Elementary Engineering Statics and Dynamics

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around finding suitable reference materials for engineering statics and dynamics, specifically for individuals who already possess a foundational understanding of physics. Participants express a desire for resources that focus on practical applications without extensive introductory content.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks a book that applies engineering concepts without reiterating basic physics, mentioning specific systems like wheels and pulleys.
  • Another participant suggests that a good reference book should include some foundational physics, questioning the request for a resource devoid of such content.
  • A participant expresses frustration at not finding resources on gears in their current physics textbooks and seeks exposure to mechanical engineering concepts.
  • Concerns are raised about the lack of concise references in mechanical engineering, with suggestions for comprehensive texts that include practical applications.
  • Some participants note that while they understand the need for brevity, they also recognize the value of thorough resources, even if lengthy.
  • One participant emphasizes the importance of understanding the physical limitations and advantages of mechanisms, rather than focusing solely on design considerations.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the challenge of finding concise engineering texts that meet their needs, but multiple competing views exist regarding the necessity of foundational physics content in reference materials. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the availability of suitable resources.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying preferences for book length and content focus, highlighting the challenge of balancing depth with accessibility. There is an acknowledgment of the limitations of existing textbooks in addressing specific topics like gears.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals with a background in physics seeking to deepen their understanding of engineering statics and dynamics, particularly those interested in practical applications and specific mechanical concepts.

Frabjous
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I already have a degree in physics. Is there a book that describes the applications for a person who knows the underlying physics? Poking around, I can only found 1000 page tomes that are also teaching the underlying physics.

In the back of my head I am thinking about
1) Systems of wheels, inclines, wires, beams, pulleys, etc with different kinds of connections
2) Hand calculations of rigid body rotations
 
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"Advanced approach to elementary..." - It's not all that clear what you're looking for. I'd think that any book which doesn't touch on the underlying physics to some degree is not a very good book... Maybe you just want a list of pictures and formulas?

You might try searching for "machine design"

A couple 1000pg tomes that come to mind are:

Rothbart - Mechanical Design Handbook
Shigley - Theory of machines and mechanisms
 
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Let me try again.
This morning I read a gear problem in one of the homework sections, and had no idea how to solve it. I cracked open my Halliday and Resnick and gear was not even listed in the index, so apparently I have never solved a gear problem. I can figure out how gears work, but there are mechanical engineering concepts that I have never been exposed to. I am looking for that exposure.
Is there a reference for those who already know freshman physics that is not a 1000pg tome?

The best thing I have found so far is
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0486607542/?tag=pfamazon01-20
edit: I am not necessarily looking for a cheap book
 
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At the risk of sounding contrarian, the Hartog book you listed is written for for sophomore level students (and so doesn't strike me as particularly "advanced"), and also happens to be lacking a section on gears, as per your follow-up post...

Let me state it this way: You are not going to find a good general mechanical engineering "reference book" that isn't 1000+ pages (see Machinery's Handbook at 3300+pg). Maybe if you were interested in one specific thing, e.g. "gears", then you could find something concise.

Both of the books I mentioned are in the mechanical engineering domain, contain tons of information on non-idealized applications (i.e. more practice than theory) and each have 100+ pages each on gears...
...

Perhaps you are looking for basic engineering statics and dynamics books?:

Meriam, Kraige - statics
Hibbeler - dynamics
Beer, Johnson - vector mechanics, statics and dynamics
 
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No argument with you. If any of the basic books had been of reasonable length, I would have picked one of them. I would agree that Hartog is a sophomore book, but at 340 pages plus 334 problems it compares well for example with Beer, Johnson at 1300 pages total and 153 problems in chapter 4 alone. I didn’t see gears in any of the basic books I looked at. Hartog is the best thing so far.

I am doing this for fun and do not have have any specific topic in mind, although I am going to find something on gears. I have been on a mechanics kick during COVID.
 
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What's the problem having a 1000-pages book, which contains the information you want?
 
Finite number of hours in a day. I would prefer a book to read not cherry pick from.
 
You don't need to read the entire book to just learn about the subject you are interested in.
 
You miss the point of my post. I am aware of the tomes and I still might end up with a tome. I am asking if there are other options. So far all I have found is an MIT textbook from 1948.
 
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Could you post a few examples of the types of problems you are interested in?
 
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Sorry for the delay, put you are forcing me to come up with an aticulatable goal. At the end of the day, I guess I am looking to understand why mechanisms/simple machines/machine elements work and what are their physical limitations and advantages. While I want understanding at the level of equations, I am not currently interested in detailed design considerations.
 
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