1,378 research outputs found
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Solving Concurrent and Nonconcurrent Coplanar Force Systems: Balancing Theory and Practice in the Technology and Engineering Education Classroom
The basic concepts inherent to statics, including unbalanced and balanced forces and instability and stability of physical systems, have traditionally been covered in middle and high school physical science courses (Physical Science as indicated in Next Generation Science Standards). Yet, these concepts are covered using a physical science approach that has minor but significant differences in terminology, structure, and focus when compared with an engineering approach. Since a robust understanding of statics is considered an essential component for most engineering disciplines, Technology and Engineering Education’s (T&EE) implementation of statics with an engineering approach could promote students’ ability to transfer learning from scientific theory into conceptualized practical application within an engineering design problem. During the utilitarian period of our discipline (i.e., Manual Training [Arts] and Industrial Arts), scientific theories were applied to practical static problems like tree stands, dirt-bike stands, can crushers, wall brackets for hanging objects, scissor lifts, log splitters, dumb trailers, furniture, and other similar projects and mechanisms. Moving away from a more utilitarian rationale and towards an academic one, Technology Education and now T&EE needs to find the balance between theoretical and practical learning. The intention of this article is to provide the reader with a better understanding of an engineering approach to statics involving the terminology, structure, and focus aligned with applying theory to practical hands-on learning activities
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Transforming Technology & Engineering Educator Inputs Into Desired Student Outputs Through Mechanism Analysis and Synthesis
The intention of this article is to provide middle and high school Technology and Engineering Educators (T&EEs) with a more thorough understanding of an engineering approach to the teaching and learning of mechanics. During the teaching and learning of engineering content, in this case mechanics, the educator should attempt to align pedagogical content knowledge with engineering content knowledge and practices. T&EEs will also need to focus on terminology, structure, and applying theory to practical hands-on learning activities inside and outside of the classroom. T&EEs have the potential to foster middle and high school students’ mechanical knowledge and the ability to apply this knowledge during engineering design experiences. As a robust understanding of mechanics is considered a requirement in college-level engineering programs, especially mechanical engineering, T&EEs should consider the development of students’ engineering knowledge and ability to apply this knowledge paramount. T&EEs are always looking for new standards-based content focused on improving students’ STEM-based skills and hands-on capabilities
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Analyzing Concrete Beam Design: Verifying Predictions in T&EE Classrooms
Design is often accepted as a fundamental aspect of engineering (Dym, et al., 2005). The design process is frequently portrayed as a set of steps. However, the design process is more complex than just a set of steps in a relatively fixed process. The complex nature of design, design thinking, questioning, and decision-making is exactly what technology and engineering classrooms are well suited to address. When addressing the question—“Why is technology and engineering education (T&EE) so important?”—the authors believe T&EE’s importance relates to our discipline’s ability to solve complex problems by balancing theory and practice in engaging hands-on learning scenarios like designing, fabricating, and testing a concrete beam
The sub-millimeter properties of broad absorption line quasars
We have carried out the first systematic survey of the sub-millimeter
properties of broad absorption line (BAL) quasars. 30 BAL quasars drawn from a
homogeneously selected sample from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey at redshifts
2<z<2.6 were observed with the SCUBA array at the JCMT to a typical rms
sensitivity of 2.5 mJy. Eight quasars were detected at > 2 sigma significance,
four of which are at > 3 sigma significance. The far-infrared luminosities of
these quasars are > 10^{13} L_solar. There is no correlation of sub-millimeter
flux with either the strength of the broad absorption feature or with absolute
magnitude in our sample. We compare the sub-millimeter flux distribution of the
BAL quasar sample with that of a sample of quasars which do not show BAL
features in their optical spectra and find that the two are indistinguishable.
BAL quasars do not have higher sub-millimeter luminosities than non-BAL
quasars. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that all quasars
would contain a BAL if viewed along a certain line-of-sight. The data are
inconsistent with a model in which the BAL phenomenon indicates a special
evolutionary stage which co-incides with a large dust mass in the host galaxy
and a high sub-millimeter luminosity. Our work provides constraints on
alternative evolutionary explanations of BAL quasars.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, ApJ, in pres
Age and Grip Strength Predict Hand Dexterity in Adults.
In the scientific literature, there is much evidence of a relationship between age and dexterity,
where increased age is related to slower, less nimble and less smooth, less coordinated
and less controlled performances. While some suggest that the relationship is a direct consequence
of reduced muscle strength associated to increased age, there is a lack of research
that has systematically investigated the relationships between age, strength and
hand dexterity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the associations between
age, grip strength and dexterity. 107 adults (range 18-93 years) completed a series of hand
dexterity tasks (i.e. steadiness, line tracking, aiming, and tapping) and a test of maximal grip
strength. We performed three phases of analyses. Firstly, we evaluated the simple relationships
between pairs of variables; replicating the existing literature; and found significant relationships
of increased age and reduced strength; increased age and reduced dexterity,
and; reduced strength and reduced dexterity. Secondly, we used standard Multiple Regression
(MR) models to determine which of the age and strength factors accounted for the
greater variance in dexterity. The results showed that both age and strength made significant
contributions to the data variance, but that age explained more of the variance in
steadiness and line tracking dexterity, whereas strength explained more of the variance in
aiming and tapping dexterity. In a third phase of analysis, we used MR analyses to show an
interaction between age and strength on steadiness hand dexterity. Simple Slopes posthoc
analyses showed that the interaction was explained by the middle to older aged adults
showing a relationship between reduced strength and reduced hand steadiness, whereas
younger aged adults showed no relationship between strength and steadiness hand dexterity.
The results are discussed in terms of how age and grip strength predict different types of
hand dexterity in adults
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