Discussion Overview
The discussion explores the differences between Engineering Mechanics books and physics majors' Mechanics books, focusing on curriculum content, topics covered, and pedagogical approaches. Participants consider specific subjects that may be included or excluded in each discipline's study of mechanics.
Discussion Character
- Debate/contested
- Conceptual clarification
- Technical explanation
Main Points Raised
- Some participants suggest that Engineering Mechanics books do not cover topics like Poisson brackets and Hamilton-Jacobi formalism, which are typically found in physics curricula.
- Others note that physics books usually do not include statics, which is a focus in Engineering Mechanics.
- There is a mention that engineering students may study elasticity, stress, and strain topics more extensively than physics undergraduates.
- One participant indicates that Mechanical Engineers at their local university learn analytical mechanics (e.g., Euler-Lagrange) in graduate studies, while they learned it in their second year as part of a combined maths-physics degree.
- Another participant describes Hiebler as a lower-division text focusing on practical problem-solving methods, contrasting it with the more sophisticated treatment of classical mechanics found in physics courses.
- A participant compares John Taylor's Classical Mechanics with Hiebler, noting that while there is overlap, Taylor's scenarios are more contrived and involve a more advanced mathematical treatment.
- One participant expresses a personal experience with Taylor, indicating they have not engaged deeply with the problem sets, suggesting a difference in approach to learning between the two texts.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express differing views on the content and focus of Engineering Mechanics versus physics majors' Mechanics books, indicating that multiple competing perspectives remain without a clear consensus.
Contextual Notes
Limitations in the discussion include potential missing assumptions about the curricula at different institutions and the varying depth of topics covered in each discipline's approach to mechanics.
