Syllabus for EGM-211
Statics is a branch of the science of mechanics that deals with bodies at rest. The course Statics (EGM-211) focuses on the following basic concepts: force and force systems, coplanar force systems, concurrent force systems, spatial force systems, and their combinations. For various force systems, two key issues will be emphasized: the resultant of a force system and the equilibrium of a force system. The concepts of moment of a force and torque will then be discussed. In addition, the concepts of centroids, centers of mass, and moments of inertia will be presented. A special type of force, frictional force, will be discussed. Application examples to engineering and technical areas will be demonstrated.
The course is designed for students who have a working knowledge of algebra, geometry, vector, and trigonometry—this knowledge is essential. Note that a review of necessary mathematics, units, and their conversions is included in the textbook.
For more background information about the science of mechanics and about the basic concepts essential to Statics, please view this PowerPoint presentation: Background and Basic Concepts.
After completing this course, you should be able to:
You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the College's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.
To see a brief breakdown of the concepts covered in each textbook chapter assigned in this course, you may view the following PowerPoint presentation: Chapter Highlights.
Students need to plot free-body diagrams of objects, structural components, or structures. Students may choose any available software to plot the required diagrams, or they can use hand-drawing, which they can scan and submit. Free software may be available. Consider, for example,
It is your responsibility to download the software you prefer, and to learn how to use the software.
Statics is a three-credit, online course, consisting of six modules. Modules include an overview, topics, learning objectives, study materials, and activities. Module titles are listed below.
For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in an online discussion forum, complete written assignments, take two review quizzes, and take a midterm examination and a final examination. See below for more details.
Consult the Course Calendar for assignment due dates.
You are required to participate in an ungraded Introductions Forum with the class during the first week of the semester. This is done to help you and your mentor get to know your classmates. You may discuss any of the topics listed in the discussion or anything about yourself that you would like to share with the class.
Participation in this asynchronous online discussion involves two distinct activities: an initial response to a topic and at least two subsequent comments on classmates' responses. Meaningful participation is relevant to the content, adds value, and advances the discussion. Comments such as "I agree" and "ditto" are not considered value-adding participation. Responses and comments should be properly proofread and edited, professional, and respectful.
For posting guidelines and help with discussion forums, please see the Student Handbook located within the General Information page of the course Web site.
You are required to complete eight written assignments. The written assignments are problems that appear in your textbook, covering a variety of topics associated with the course modules. As you do your reading in preparation for each written activity, preview the activity questions so that you know what to expect.
Most of the written activities involve mathematical calculations; all necessary steps must be included in your solution sheets. Click Solution Sample to view the steps and a sample solution sheet.
Unreadable, sloppy papers will not be graded and will cause you to receive a zero for the activity. In addition, if you provide only answers, your activity will not be graded, and you will receive a zero for that assignment. However, bonus points will be awarded for completed activities of high quality, including correct solution steps and answers and neat appearance.
You may discuss written assignment problems with your classmates; however, you must submit your own solutions after such discussions. Duplicated work will result in zeros for both parties, no matter who is the original and who is the duplicator.
Include your name at the top of each page, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled. Be sure to number the pages of your assignment and clearly identify the number of each problem by item number and page number. Be sure that you submit your activities on or before the due date. Delayed work will not be accepted.
Assignments must be prepared electronically with a word processor, preferably using whatever equation editor comes with your word processing software. However, if your word processor is not compatible with your mentor's word processor, you will need to save your document as a rich-text file (.rtf), using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program. Check with your mentor first to determine file compatibility. (Important: Use the equation editor to insert equations into your word-processed document, not to create the document itself.)
You are encouraged to upgrade your word processor's equation editor to the latest Windows version of MathType. Once you have installed MathType, please click this link to find instructions about how to use MathType to prepare formulas on your word processor: Formula Preparation Steps.
For help regarding preparing and submitting activities, see the Student Handbook located within the General Information page of the course Web site.
Statics requires you to take two quizzes: a Midterm Review Quiz and a Final Review Quiz. Consult the Course Calendar for the scheduling of these quizzes.
The Midterm Review Quiz covers the material assigned in Chapters 1–5 of the textbook. The Final Review Quiz is cumulative and covers all material in the course (Chapters 1–9). The Midterm Review Quiz consists of two problems, and the Final Review Quiz has one problem. They will focus on the major objectives of the modules.
The quizzes are open book. You are also allowed to use any calculators and to refer to study notes and completed written assignments.
Both of the quizzes are taken in two stages. A link for each stage will be made available in the associated module within the course Web site.
You may take the quiz at any time during that week in which it is being offered (see Course Calendar) but no later than midnight Saturday (eastern time). Remember to pace yourself; take Stage 1 of the quiz early enough in the week to allow yourself enough time to complete Stage 2 by the deadline.
If you are on a course extension and have not yet taken either quiz, you will need to arrange with your mentor a time to reschedule the quizzes.
Please also note that Stage 1 of the quiz is time-limited. That means you only have the allotted time in which to complete it. If you exceed the time limit on the exam, you will be penalized by having two points deducted for every minute that you exceed the time limit.
The quizzes in this course are unproctored. That means you will not be supervised while taking the test. You are on your honor not to cheat during the exam. Cheating means:
If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in your quiz, the quiz will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.
Statics requires you to take two examinations: a midterm and a final. Consult the Course Calendar for the scheduling of these exams.
The midterm exam covers the material assigned in Chapters 1–5. The final exam is cumulative and covers all material in the course (Chapters 1–9). Each exam consists of four problems that focus on the major objectives of the modules.
The exams are open book. You are also allowed to use calculators, study notes, and completed written activities.
Both the midterm exam and the final exam are taken in two stages. A link for each stage will be made available to you in the Examinations area of the course Web site.
You may take the exam at any time during the week it is scheduled (see Course Calendar), but no later than midnight Saturday (eastern time). Remember to pace yourself; take the Stage I part of the exam early enough in the week to allow yourself enough time to complete Stage II of the exam by the deadline.
If you are on a course extension and have not yet taken either the midterm or the final exam, you will need to arrange with your mentor a time to reschedule the exams, so that they may be made available to you.
Statement about Cheating
You are on your honor not to cheat during the exam. Cheating means:
If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in your exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.
Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:
All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:
To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or better (for an area of study course) or D or better (for a course not in your area of study), based on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.).
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:
Consider the following study tips for success:
Thomas Edison State College is committed to maintaining academic quality, excellence, and honesty. The College expects all members of its community to share the commitment to academic integrity, an essential component of a quality academic experience.
Students at Thomas Edison State College are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic citizenship. In particular, students are expected to read and follow all policies, procedures, and program information guidelines contained in publications; pursue their learning goals with honesty and integrity; demonstrate that they are progressing satisfactorily and in a timely fashion by meeting course deadlines and following outlined procedures; observe a code of mutual respect in dealing with mentors, staff, and other students; behave in a manner consistent with the standards and codes of the profession in which they are practicing; keep official records updated regarding changes in name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address; and meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Students not practicing good academic citizenship may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, dismissal, or financial holds on records.
All members of the College community are responsible for reviewing the Academic Code of Conduct Policy in the College Catalog and online at www.tesc.edu.
Thomas Edison State College expects all of its students to approach their education with academic integrity—the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception. All mentors and administrative staff members at the College insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty can take the following forms:
Thomas Edison State College is committed to helping students understand the seriousness of plagiarism, which is defined as using the work and ideas of others without proper citation. The College takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing are subject to discipline under the academic code of conduct policy.
If you copy phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or whole documents word-for-word—or if you paraphrase by changing a word here and there—without identifying the author, or without identifying it as a direct quote, then you are plagiarizing. Please keep in mind that this type of identification applies to Internet sources as well as to print-based sources. Copying and pasting from the Internet, without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism. (For information about how to cite Internet sources, see Online Student Handbook > Academic Standards > “Citing Sources.”)
Accidentally copying the words and ideas of another writer does not excuse the charge of plagiarism. It is easy to jot down notes and ideas from many sources and then write your own paper without knowing which words are your own and which are someone else’s. It is more difficult to keep track of each and every source. However, the conscientious writer who wishes to avoid plagiarizing never fails to keep careful track of sources.
Always be aware that if you write without acknowledging the sources of your ideas, you run the risk of being charged with plagiarism.
Clearly, plagiarism, no matter the degree of intent to deceive, defeats the purpose of education. If you plagiarize deliberately, you are not educating yourself, and you are wasting your time on courses meant to improve your skills. If you plagiarize through carelessness, you are deceiving yourself.
For examples of unintentional plagiarism, advice on when to quote and when to paraphrase, and information about writing assistance and originality report checking, click the links provided below.
Examples of Unintentional Plagiarism
When to Quote and When to Paraphrase
Writing Assistance at Smarthinking
Originality Report Checking at Turnitin
Acts of both intentional and unintentional plagiarism violate the Academic Code of Conduct.
If an incident of plagiarism is an isolated minor oversight or an obvious result of ignorance of proper citation requirements, the mentor may handle the matter as a learning exercise. Appropriate consequences may include the completion of tutorials, assignment rewrites, or any other reasonable learning tool in addition to a lower grade for the assignment or course. The mentor will notify the student and appropriate dean of the consequence by e-mail.
If the plagiarism appears intentional and/or is more than an isolated incident, the mentor will refer the matter to the appropriate dean, who will gather information about the violation(s) from the mentor and student, as necessary. The dean will review the matter and notify the student in writing of the specifics of the charge and the sanction to be imposed.
Possible sanctions include:
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