Introduction

Outlines of the Part IA coursework activities and experiments are given below, together with the number of timetabled sessions allocated to them.

Also see the general information about Part I labs & coursework above.

Drawing

The Drawing course runs in the Michaelmas and Lent terms only.

In Michaelmas, the focus is on Computer Aided Design (CAD), emphasising the basic functionality of commercial CAD software. The course starts with an introductory lecture in LT0 and is then delivered through a series of self-paced tutorials and tasks that are supported by helpdesk sessions. Students are required to work through the tutorials and tasks prior to their scheduled marking sessions, using the helpdesk as required before then.

In Lent, the focus is on manual drawing, emphasising the principles and practices that define how three-dimensional objects are represented on two dimensional surfaces (such as paper). Each timetabled drawing session, both morning and afternoon, begins with a lecture to outline the material that will be covered in the following practical class. Students are expected to attend both the lecture and the following practical class. Work set for each drawing class must be handed in at the end of each session. Students should avoid commitment to other afternoon activities on the one day a fortnight when they are scheduled to attend drawing classes (see the lab & coursework schedules). Supervisions should be timetabled to avoid afternoon lab sessions.

Most of the equipment required for the practical drawing sessions is provided.  See additional course costs for details of the drawing equipment that students are expected to have.

Exposition

The communication of technical information is developed through the exposition course which aims to improve students' presentation, discussion and writing skills. Students' lab reports on an electronic filters experiment are critically reviewed during these sessions. In addition, each student is required to give a short (10-15 minute) talk on technical material and to take part in a debate on a current technical topic, or other appropriate activity. The topics chosen are at the discretion of the group leader. The good practice initiated during the exposition exercises is developed throughout the course, whenever students write laboratory or project reports, essays or give oral presentations on their project work.

Engineer in society, principles of design, product design project and dimensional analysis

Eight lectures are given on the role of the engineer in society, in which the wider issues that influence technical decision making are discussed. Students' assimilation of the lecture material and their reading around the subject is assessed through a report. There are also eight lectures on the principles of design, assessed through the product design project.  The principles of dimensional analysis are covered in four lectures at the start of term followed by two experiments (and questions may be set on this topic in the Part IA examinations).

NB. Attendance at all these lectures is necessary for students to complete their coursework satisfactorily. 

Computing and microprocessors

The Michaelmas Term part of the course involves 12 activities for self-study, and each activity has exercises to be completed. All the material and documentation for the course will be made available online, through the course Moodle page which will also list ways to get help.  The exercises for at least the first six activities must be completed by week 4, and the remainder must be completed by week 7.

The Lent Term activity is a group exercise, with students working in pairs. Each student takes charge of writing part of a software solution. A modular design and unit testing are required to ensure that the two parts work together correctly.

Microprocessors and learning how to program them are introduced through a series of labs in the Easter term.

The computing course is examined in Paper 4 Mathematical Methods. An open-ended long vacation exercise (the “Mars lander”) aims to keep computing skills fresh for Part IB.

Structural design project

Creative thinking and synthesis are fostered in design projects. All students undertake a Structural Design Project. Working in pairs, they design, manufacture and test a metal structure to carry given loads at minimum cost. The structures are tested to destruction in ascending order of 'cost'. After the test, recommendations are made on how the design might be improved. Assessment is by the quality of the tested product, the quality of the drawings and the individual reports.

Integrated electrical project

This experiment is not lab-based, and instead is something you can work on in your own space.  Using the electronics kit you will be given towards the start of term, you will have a series of exercises to complete whereby you will build a number of circuits, and upload your findings to Moodle.  These activities will run in parallel with the Physical Principles of Electronics and Analysis of Circuits lectures, and will also form part of exposition.  Full details will be provided by Prof Wilkinson during the above lectures. 

Product design exercise

The students' assimilation of the material covered in the eight lectures on the principles of design is tested through a product design project where they are asked to design a device to meet a specified need. In addition to a brief report, students present their solutions in person to an audience which includes a designer from industry.

Outline of coursework activities

Term	Coursework	No. of timetabled 2-hour (morning) lab sessions + afternoons
Michaelmas	Lego Mindstorms Dimensional analysis Statics experiment Exposition Computing	5 (2 or 3 in afternoons) 2 1 8 Support sessions in the afternoons in weeks 2-8 Assessment sessions in weeks 4 and 7.
Christmas Vacation	Report on 'the engineer in society'
Michaelmas, Lent and Easter	Drawing Structural design project Integrated electrical project Machine Tool lab	9 + 9 afternoons 5 + 5 afternoons  1
Lent and Easter	Microprocessors Computing Experiments	2 + 1 afternoon 2 + 2 afternoons 12
Easter Vacation	Product design project

 

Outline of experiments (Lent/Easter terms)

Students undertake 11 experiments during the Lent term and the first three weeks of the Easter term. The topics on which these experiments are based are listed below. Some experiments are 'short'. These straightforward experiments aim to give students experience of important techniques and phenomena. Each task is completed and signed up in the two-hour morning period assigned to it. 'Long' experiments normally require two hours in the laboratory to complete the investigation and record the results, with an extra two hours on writing-up and drawing conclusions, and a subsequent sign-up session.

Associated paper	Experiment number and title	Long or short
Mechanics:	1.Measurement of vehicle motion	L
Thermofluids:	2. Gas engine 9. Turbocharger 10. Inviscid fluid flow	L S S
Structures:	3. Elastic beams	L
Materials:	4. Plasticity and fracture 11. Non-destructive testing	L S
Electrical and information:	12. Iron-cored transformer 13. AC Power 14. Combinational logic 15. Sequential logic, memory and counting	S S S S