There are no prerequisites for the course, but senior standing is required. It is expected that by the time the students have achieved senior status, they will have acquired a wide body of general knowledge (mostly of an abstract or theoretical nature) concerning the following: Material characteristics Manufacturing Processes Mechanical component design issues Thermodynamics Heat transfer A general background knowledge of these subjects is required in order for the students to develop a deeper understanding of how actual devices are made, how they function, and what they are made of as well as a greater appreciation for why things are done the way that they are.

Develop a better understanding of how function, material selection and processing, and manufacturing and assembly considerations are implemented in actual machines and products.

Develop an appreciation for the details that must be adressed in designing and manufacturing a machine or product.

Each week a different device is dissected and studied.

While tehse may vary from semester to semester, typically the dissections include: Toy which exhibits motion (e.g. a radio controlled car) Hydraulic jack Power tools (both pneumatic and electric) Air conditioner Small internal combustion engine (two weeks) Manual transmission (two weeks) Automatic transmission Printer or hard drive Gas turbine Project selected by student two-person teams

The following statement indicates which of the following considerations are included in this course: economic, environmental, ethical, political, societal, health and safety, manufacturability, sustainability.

This course is primarily directed towards developing a better appreciation for the application of engineering principles in actual devices.