Reinventing the Teaching of Statics

Learning in the subject of Engineering Statics deserves significant attention. First, Statics lays the foundation for subsequent courses, namely Dynamics and Strength of Materials, both of which rely heavily on free body diagrams and on recognizing the combined effect of forces. While there are new ideas which are emphasized in engineering dynamics, instructors in this subject inevitably find that some of students’ difficulties are rooted in ideas from Statics, such as free body diagrams and working with forces. One of the most fundamental concepts in strength of materials is that of internal loads and its relation to external loads. This idea is wholly within the domain of Statics, yet a concept inventory for mechanics of materials currently under development rightfully points to this as one of its core concepts. Second, Statics, together with these courses, forms the basis for much engineering design and practice. Again, instructors in engineering design lament the difficulties students have in using Statics for the purpose of their course. In sum, all is not well with instruction in Statics.