This paper was presented at the 2008 Engineering Conference - Innovation Good Practice and Research in Engineering Education.
The existence of a maths problem with the teaching of engineering science is well documented and shows little sign of abating. Obviously engineers need mathematics to prove the efficacy of their designs but there is also a perception of the need for mathematics as a means of teaching the conceptual nature of engineering. Using classical mechanics this paper questions that assumption and suggests that we make more effective use of the other well developed means of graphic communication.
It is the aim of this research to develop a scheme of graphic communication that will enable students to develop their awareness of the basic concepts of classical mechanics without the use of mathematics to develop their spatial abilities through graphic manipulation and to aid the learning of the language of mathematics.
This paper outlines a framework to enable educators and students of classical mechanics to take advantage of this scheme either online or in the classroom and which will be available before the start of the 2008/09 academic year for use by and for feedback from the engineering educational community.
