A STUDY ON

WHY WE STUDY ENGINEERING DRAWING

EDO STATE UNIVERSITY UZAIRUE

KM 7, AUCHI - ABUJA ROAD, IYAMHO- UZAIRUE, EDO STATE,

NIGERIA.

OVWIGHO DANIEL UFUOMA

ENG/MEC/01901498
ENGINEERING MATHEMATICS I

GEE 217

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

CHECKED BY: ENGR.F. OAMEN ISAAC

Submitted in PARTIAL fulfillment for the award of A BACHELORS’

DEGREE IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

14TH MARCH 2021

ABSTRACT

Mathematics or particularly engineering or applied mathematics is widely used in mechanical

engineering. While engineering mathematics is a mandatory subject taught in the mechanical

engineering departments and other engineering departments, not many students understand it

very well. Applications shown in the class tend to be very simple; even many engineering

mathematics textbooks do not touch real applications well. Most students who have studied

mathematics a lot cannot relate mathematics to other subjects which have a lot of mathematics in

their contents. It is hoped that through examples given, mechanical engineering students could

appreciate the use of engineering mathematics in real life and be motivated to understand their

engineering problems better. This paper will discuss some examples of applications of

mathematics in mechanical engineering and engineering in general. The applications are those

found in real life that is in industry where many mechanical engineers are working
INTRODUCTION

Engineering Mathematics is a branch of mathematics concerning mathematical methods and

techniques that are typically used in engineering and industry

Engineering is a science where the forces of nature are converted for the utility of mankind.
Natural forces and mathematical analysis are juxtaposed for the benefit of people. Mathematics
is an integral part of engineering. If you want to take a degree in engineering, you need an A
level equivalent in mathematics. Mathematics teaches us to establish relationships among
different quantities. Mathematics is of paramount importance if one is planning to study
engineering at the university level. While in school, one must build a very strong understanding
of mathematics because it is the foundation upon which engineering is based. As students pass
on to the university level, they should study mathematics rigorously to prepare for engineering
courses.

In math classes across the world, one of the most common things you will hear students mumble
under their breaths; “When are we ever going to need this in real life?’ or “Yet another day in my
life where I didn’t use y=mx+c!” Even on the internet, it is common to see memes and jokes
about how mathematics is not actually used in our everyday life. But there’s a special branch of
mathematics that deals with problems in real life. This branch is called applied mathematics, and
those who happen to become engineers often find themselves using these on a daily basis.

Applied mathematics is often used to solve complex practical problems. And it is when used by
engineers that this kind of mathematics brings about the most invaluable real-world solutions to
our problems. How do we make a 300-ton aircraft fly through the sky? How do we build a bridge
that can cross a 1km river? How do we stop skyscrapers from collapsing during an earthquake?
In truth, all the greatest engineering accomplishments and inventions are feats of mathematics.
DISCUSSION

Mathematics is a wide discipline and has many forms. In the various engineering fields, different

forms of math may be applied to achieve a specific solution. For instance, linear algebra is

widely applied in electrical engineering to design electrical circuits. Boolean algebra is the basis

of digital logic design, a key component of building computers.

In civil and mechanical engineering, geometry is used to design structures and ensure that they

perform in a safe and meaningful way. When designing a bridge, civil engineers may use

differential equations to calculate the approximate size of the supporting piers needed. They may

also use complex mathematical modeling to predict the lifespan of the structure to be

constructed.

Industrial engineers use calculus to find the rate at which certain variables will change in a given

operation. Industrial engineering routinely entails making approximations and safe estimations to

ensure that all processes are properly controlled. One or more forms of mathematics are used in

these approximations and estimations.

Mathematics can be seen as a tool among a series of tools used in the process of solving an

engineering problem. Designing a structural beam, an aerospace component, a digital circuit, or

any other engineering system will require the use of basic mathematic principles. Of course,

mathematics goes beyond its purpose as a tool and it is actually the “study” of mathematics that

provides a foundation of analytic and problem-solving skills. Many students of mathematics

complain that sometimes the problems solved during class or assigned as homework are very

abstract and it is working on this type of problems that develop those skills.
Many engineering problems are qualitative and quantitative. For example, you observe that an

obstacle can be moved using a lever (qualitative). Then you must decide how much force is

needed to overcome the resistance and will the lever be long enough and strong enough to do the

job (quantitative). Common sense often solves the qualitative problem but it may take a trained

engineer to do the math and solve the quantitative problem. Of course, this is only a very crude

example of where mathematical aptitude is needed.

Engineering is a science that depends on empirical formulas. Formulas that have been developed

to best match the theory of design and test results. There is no engineering that does not have a

mathematical basis. Once experience is developed by the engineer, then his designs can be

initiated be estimates and proved by math. God has made science such that we can repeat our

designs once we have computed and tested the math. Computer science now makes the math

resolutions much quicker and simpler but it is necessary to understand the basic principles so that

you can affirm the computer results. Trial and error in engineering is no longer an acceptable

means.

It's important to have a good foundation in mathematics as an engineering student, but I

personally don't think you need to be fantastic at math. As long as you understand the basic

concepts, I've found that the application isn't that difficult. And a lot of times, in engineering

applications, you'll be given a formula instead of having to derive it, or you'll have reference

material available instead of having to struggle through the math itself.

WHY WE STUDY ENGINEERING MATHEMATICS AS IT RELATES TO

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Like many engineering fields, mechanical engineering has many subjects which have a lot of

mathematics in their contents, which should be properly called as engineering mathematics.

Mechanics of Materials, Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer and Internal combustion engines are

examples of those subjects. However, while students have studied engineering mathematics a lot,

most of them cannot relate it to engineering subjects. After studying differential equations in

calculus, they are expected to be able to apply them to solve deflection problems in mechanics of

materials, for example. However, not only students, even engineering lecturers often find it

difficult to apply mathematics to engineering problems. There are many examples of engineering

applications in the textbooks but they are often differently applied in mechanical engineering. As

an example is on Newton’s first law about cooling of an object in a room. Theoretically, it will

take a very long time (infinity!) for the object to have the same temperature as the room.

However, in practice it will be achieved in less than one hour or even less. In the following, we

will discuss some applications of engineering mathematics in mechanical engineering which are

important in industry. It is hoped that real problems taken from engineering subjects will

encourage students to study engineering mathematics better.

Mechanics of Materials

There are many applications of the subject such as in buildings and structures of cars and heavy

equipment. An example of the application is in the determination of the deflection when a beam

is given a partial triangle load

Kinematics

Kinematics can be defined as the study of motion without regard to forces. Kinematics has many

applications such as in bicycles, automobiles, tractors and cranes.

Thermodynamics

Thermodynamics is a very important subject which has many applications in industry and our

everyday life. A typical example of the use and application of mathematics in thermodynamics is

the equation of state. Equation of state is a relationship among pressure (P), volume (V) or

specific volume (v) and temperature (T) of a fluid. There are many Equations of state that have

been developed; the simplest one is for an ideal gas, Pv = RT

CONCLUSION

Engineering has many subjects, courses and disciplines with a lot of mathematics content in

them. However, many students cannot relate mathematics to those subjects. Many examples of

engineering applications can be found in the textbooks but they are often differently applied in

real life situations and in the industry. Examples of applications of engineering mathematics in

this paper are important in the industry. Hopefully, real problems taken from engineering

subjects will encourage students to study engineering mathematics better. Also, previous

emotional experiences with school mathematics, value (why should I do mathematics?) and

expectancy (am I able to do mathematics?) influence engineers’ engagement with mathematics in

their work. By understanding the essence and applications of engineering mathematics to

engineering and life in general, hopefully, students will be able to answer the question: “Why do

we study engineering mathematics?”

REFERENCES

 “Some Applications of Engineering Mathematics in Mechanical Engineering”- Zahedi

Herman Mawengkang, Marwan Affandi, Mahrizal Masri (International Journal of Recent

Technology and Engineering (IJRTE) ISSN: 2277-3878, Volume-7, Issue-6S5, April

2019).