Observations and Conclusions of Dynamics Students’ Mathematical Fluency

Abstract

The course Dynamics I in mechanical engineering is a challenging course for many reasons, one of them being its mathematical demands. A collaboration between the first author (a mathematics lecturer and mathematics education researcher) and the second author (a mechanical engineer and the Dynamics I lecturer) sought to answer the question “What specific and identifiable mathematical difficulties are experienced by the Dynamics I students?” The observational results of this, in essence, ethnographic case study suggest that there are two levels of mathematical challenge, namely specific symbolic and computational difficulties as well as the need for well-developed problem-solving processes. We discuss our observations and provide pedagogic advice for lecturers of mathematics to help ease the transition to Dynamics I.