Engineering Statics.?

Question

Is it me or do a lot of people struggle in this course? I'm taking it at a university. I want to major in Civil Engineering, but I fear I am doing very badly in my Statics class. There will be a curve, but I believe I am doing so badly that even with being graded on a curve I will still have a low grade. Unfortunately, I think I am going to be retaking Statics in the spring at my university. I also have to take a course in Dynamics and another course in Mechanics of Materials. Is struggling in Statics an indication that I will probably not succeed in Civil Engineering? I felt like I understood what was going on in lecture and even what the textbook talks about, but the textbook problems seem incredibly difficult. I struggle a lot when it comes to figuring out how to start a problem. We are using the Engineering Mechanics: Statics 5th Edition by Bedford and Fowler. There is also no student solutions manual available for this textbook. The TA's in my class are really harsh graders. I was hoping that because of the difficulty in the problems that there would be some leniency in grading, but this is not the case. I won't be applying to my university's College of Engineering until June for the fall quarter. I am worried that a bad grade in Statics and the fact that I retook it next quarter in spring will look bad to admissions. Do a lot of people struggle in this course? I do not want to give up on my dream of becoming an engineering major just because of this one class. Any feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading.

Answer 1

Everybody struggles in Statics. It's the first real "engineering" course most ce students take. However, the civil engineering curriculum does not get any easier after Statics, it gets harder. Statics is a "weed out" class.



With that said, a poor performance does not mean you should drop out of the curriculum. It means that you need to work harder to accomplish your goal. The class is definitely passible if you work hard enough.



You knew Engineering would be difficult before you went into it. It will become progressively more difficult as you progress. Now, suck it up and do what it takes to get your degree. That means less partying and more studying.



LSU-BSCE '05

Answer 2

If you are struggling with statics, it can mean a few things. It could mean that you just haven't given it the time it deserves, but it could also mean that you simply aren't good at it. Statics is one of the 'easier' engineering courses, and it is fundamental for upper level courses. Dynamics really isn't that difficult at all, it only becomes difficult if you were poor in calculus and physics (dynamics is a marriage of the two, one of my favorite subjects).



Statics is basically just a few equations and a very simple assumption that newtons second law is equal to zero. Most problems can be solved by summing forces x and y and taking a few moments. If this is difficult for you, like my advisor would harshly say to some of the freshman in my classes, hotel management is right down the hall.



If that upsets you, it should. Use it to fire your motivation and study more. It's good that you are reaching out, but you will only get better with practice to figure out where your gaps in knowledge are. Perhaps you should post a question you find difficult and I will show you my process?

Answer 3

The Hibbeler's book is actually one of the better one's I've seen. Sorry I can't provide any references, its been a long time since statics. Personally, statics was one of those classes that I had to be exposed in bursts and allow time to reflect. A good teacher **really** helps. The only thing that gave me problems in the course was the concept of couple moments and the way it was depicted. I also never liked the random blobs of mass with arbitrary vectors applied to them. Then again I'm an electrical engineer not mechanical. Just remember to reference the book often, sleep on the concepts and go over it with someone who has a firm understanding of the material. That is the only thing that I can recommend and that goes for any engineering class. There are some treacherous books out there and sometimes there are no reasonable alternatives. Hibbeler is quite the Teddy bear. Good Luck

Answer 4

im agree with godzirra said..you need to work harder, what i can say is statics is the basic in civil engineering. later on after you learn about structural analysis & other courses, you will find static is easy & regret the time you didnt do well in it.

dynamic is way harder than static. im not trying to scare you, but the fact you need to accept so that you will prepare mentally.

tips from me, whenever you try to solve static problem....take out all the information. another key point, static is all about:

sum of Fx =0

sum of Fy = 0

sum of moment = 0

put in the relavent number in the equation, then solve it mathematically..



another thing, you actually can get much resources in the web...just try google it.