Mechanical Engineering

[Crashmore 22]

Currently in my Junior year of Mechanical Engineering.

cool----4000 posts and Im glad it meant something

[TREDZ71]

i'm a mech engineer by trade....where are you studying?

my favorite classes had to be fluids and maechaincs.

[McG300ex]

hey i'm in high school what kind of requirements do you have to have to be a mechanical enigneer. like english credits math science did you have to take a foreign language.

[TREDZ71]

i had no requirements to get into ME plan, but I did have to take placement exams to get accpeted to the college. the test gauged where i was and what i needed more focus on....mainly to see what generals i required.

[450robot]

any other info from anyone else on what requirments are needed? i to, someday want to become a mech. engineer

[Tommy 17]

Originally posted by McG300ex
hey i'm in high school what kind of requirements do you have to have to be a mechanical enigneer. like english credits math science did you have to take a foreign language.

i'm in mechanical engineering at penn state... sophmore year...


heres what u need... A DAMN GOOD MATH, PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY BACKGROUND!!! you need atleast pre calc or better, a good background in physics, and chemistry is nearly impossible...


expect to be sittin in your room studyin while ur budies are out drinking...


to stay in ME i needed a 3.0 at the end of my 3rd semester... i had a 3.22...

theres no language classes for me... i only had to take what i took in highschool!

[TREDZ71]

I agree with Tommy...it may sound cliche, but strong self discipline is REQUIRED as well....above all, enjoy it. I found that when I stressed out, it only made it harder.

Good luck.

[Tommy 17]

heres my classes over the last 4 semester so u can get an idea of what u'll have to do...


1st semester
Math 140(calc 1)
chem 12 (chem 1)
english 015 (basic english but it wasn't easy)
econ004 (macro economics)
biology140 (bio 1)
freshman seminar

2nd semester
Math 140 again! (yes i failed it with 99% of my class)
chem 13 (chem 2 hardest class of my life)
physics 211 2nd part of physics 1
psycology 002 (intro to psyc)
ED&G100 (intro to engineering basically it was CADD)
Emet097 (design)

3rd semester
MATH 141 (calc 2)
PHYS 212L ELECT & MAGNETISM
E MCH011 (statics physics)
CAS 100A (speech)
CMPSC201C PRGMG ENGRS (computers C++ programming)

now
MATH 251 (differntial equations)
MATH 220 (matricies)
MUSIC 007(intro to Jazz easy A)
INART 010 (study of movies)
BIOL 141 002 (study of the human body)
MCH 012 001 (dynamics physics)

[TREDZ71]

Diffy-q....aww the triple integrals. matricies were fun too...god, i miss college.

hey tommy....try taking a vibrations class....believe it or not, i took it as an elective....it's diffy-q and calc 3 on roids...

[Robin Hood]

Tom, your exactly where I wanna be in 2 years.

Ive been taking CAD and drafting classes throughout high school so far. Ill be a senior next year, and Ill be in CAD 2, precalc, physics 2, and ill have some Art Studio AP. Ive been wanted to go to penn state for years now, ever since i was obsessed with paintball (penn has a great team.) Any info you can post for people who want to be accepted?

[Tommy 17]

Originally posted by TREDZ71
Diffy-q....aww the triple integrals. matricies were fun too...god, i miss college.

hey tommy....try taking a vibrations class....believe it or not, i took it as an elective....it's diffy-q and calc 3 on roids...


o that sounds fun!!! haha i don't get to take alot of classes like that until next semester... thats when i start in the thermo dynamics... stength and materials... and all the rest!

i sat here for an hour tearing my hair out over a diffy Q problem... the integral was just horrible!:grr:

[TREDZ71]

you should post it...let everyone see what it's like....:eek2: :eek2:

[Tommy 17]

Originally posted by Robin Hood
Tom, your exactly where I wanna be in 2 years.

Ive been taking CAD and drafting classes throughout high school so far. Ill be a senior next year, and Ill be in CAD 2, precalc, physics 2, and ill have some Art Studio AP. Ive been wanted to go to penn state for years now, ever since i was obsessed with paintball (penn has a great team.) Any info you can post for people who want to be accepted?

thats pretty much exactly were i was when i entered in...

i wasn't the BEST student in h.s. i graduated with a 87% GPA... my SAT wasnt great it was only a 1020...

heres what u do... no later then the 1st or 2nd week of september make sure that you send in your application... the earlier the better... i had mine in the 1st week of my senior year in h.s... if u don't get into the main campus enroll in the ALTOONA campus and then transfer... thats what most freshman do including me...

if you get in look me up... i'll gladly tell u which teachers are good... what classes to stay away from... i've learned that finding the right teacher means everything!

[Robin Hood]

Originally posted by Tommy 17
thats pretty much exactly were i was when i entered in...

i wasn't the BEST student in h.s. i graduated with a 87% GPA... my SAT wasnt great it was only a 1020...

heres what u do... no later then the 1st or 2nd week of september make sure that you send in your application... the earlier the better... i had mine in the 1st week of my senior year in h.s... if u don't get into the main campus enroll in the ALTOONA campus and then transfer... thats what most freshman do including me...

if you get in look me up... i'll gladly tell u which teachers are good... what classes to stay away from... i've learned that finding the right teacher means everything!

Thanks man! I just got my PSAT's back a month ago... Idk if its good or not, but I heard the average is around a 1500 or so, and I got a 1740. It's out of 2400 now though. I'm taking SAT classes just so I can get more prepared for it. I heard SAT means a lot in colleges so I just want to do as well as I can on it. Anyway, my GPA so far is around the low 90's, and that AP class next year will help out a ton.

And on that teachers mean a lot comment.. I learned that a while ago, and I'm sure most people know that already haha.

[Tommy 17]

u'll get in no problem!!!


trust me teachers do mean everything...

one teacher for math 140... D!
another teacher for math 140 A+

[Robin Hood]

That's how it was for me in spanish last year :ermm:

I got the worst 3 teachers. I carried an 80 frosh year, then soph year I went into 2, dropped down to 2m, and had such a hard time because my teacher was a friggen *****. I just barely scraped by.

Oh yeah, btw, what are the language req's for a ME? If I need to, I'll take a summer language course :ermm:

[Tommy 17]

Originally posted by Robin Hood
Oh yeah, btw, what are the language req's for a ME? If I need to, I'll take a summer language course :ermm:


there is none!!!! u'll never take another spainish class again!

[z400guy]

any of you guys use Catia V5 that are already in college or have a job?

[parkers30]

I too am an ME student, finishing out my Junior year right now.



On the Catia questions, what program you use is pretty much up to your company or school, but once you understand one, you can usually figure out the other, I personally use UG and that family of programs primarily

[z400guy]

yeah, i was just curious cause i work with catia at work.
i know inventor, solid edge and some others, but your right, once you know one, you can usually figure out the others

[parkers30]

when I was a freshman, I was giving tours on a open house weekend andI had some mom freak out on me because we didn't use Catia 5, cause it was the lastest greatest blah blah blah

even though all I said was I didn't know if we did or not, I was just a freshman giving tours of the dorms. Looking back it just shows her lack of knowledge that she got so jumpy about, what ever program you learn on in school will most likely be outdated when you graduated anyway

[Tommy 17]

parkers ain't that the truth... i started learning on autocadd 2000 in h.s... then autocadd 2004 in college... two totaly differnt things!!!

[parkers30]

but the key is that it was easy to jump in and get things done in the new program, just from the prior experience

[Tommy 17]

Originally posted by parkers30
but the key is that it was easy to jump in and get things done in the new program, just from the prior experience


thats very true... i also can pick up programs really easy now that i've never had a background in just by what i've learned in my CADD programs...

programs such as MATLAB, C++, and just any program in general!

[400exBro]

I am in system design engineering at university of waterloo, which is mechanical and electrical engineering put together.
I just finished 1a and now i am on my work term that last 4 months, you actually get to put what you learned to work... Right now doing a lot of cad work, as well as preparing presentations for board meetings.

For engineering learn lots of math and science... that is all you need!
These are just my first year courses:



SY DE 111 Calculus 1
The limit, continuity, and inverse functions. Integral calculus: fundamental theorems, integral as an area, indefinite integrals, methods of integration. Areas, volume, work, impulse and energy; polar coordinates; sequences, series and convergence.

SY DE 121
Digital Computation
Computer systems, problem solving, data and programs, structured programming, arrays, matrices and pointers, correct and efficient algorithms, data structures.

SY DE 161
Introduction to Systems Design Engineering
Course: Defining systems design, systems concepts, system sciences. Systems problem solving: identification, analysis and design. Graphics Lab: engineering drawing, projections, descriptive geometry, points planes and lines.

SY DE 181
Physics 1 (Statics)
Basic concepts of mechanics, vectors. Statics of particles. Rigid bodies and force systems, equilibrium of rigid bodies. Analysis of trusses and frames. Distributed forces, centroids and moments of inertia. Friction. Virtual work.

SY DE 183 Chemistry
Concepts of electronic structure, atomic and molecular bonding, shapes of molecules; reactivity, energetics, chemical behaviour. Acidity, basicity and buffer solutions. Solids: ionic and covalent crystals, crystal defects. Oxidation and corrosion. Organic chemistry -- common functional groups and reactions, including polymer-forming reactions; fibers, plastics and rubber.



SY DE 112
Calculus 2
Intermediate and mean value theorems, L'Hôpital's rule. Taylor/Maclaurin and other power series, convergence and applications. Functions of two variables, partial derivatives, Jacobian, gradient, extrema, series.

SY DE 114
Linear Algebra
Vector spaces. Matrix algebra. Linear maps. Eigenvalues and eigenvectors. Diagonalization. Inner product spaces and orthogonality. Systems of linear equations.

SY DE 142
Introduction to Human Systems
Ergonomics -- the man-machine environment, human sensory processes, information processing, motor function. Introduction to biomedical engineering. Introduction to cognitive ergonomics.

SY DE 182
Physics 2 (Dynamics)
Kinematics of particles, rectilinear and curvilinear motion. Kinetics of particles, application to space mechanics. Energy and momentum methods. Systems of particles. Kinematics and kinetics of rigid bodies; planar motion. Vibrations.

SY DE 192
Digital Systems
Digital technology, combinatorial logic, binary arithmetic, synchronous sequential circuits, design methodology, algorithmic state machines, microcomputer interfacing.

[Ralph]

I got into the same school tommy got into for engineering but im not sure yet if i will go there.

I am still in highschool and got accepted with a 3.4 gpa and a 1200 or so on the SAT.

Im deff looking to do ME but we will see where the road takes me

[spent21]

I'm an ME working now in Nashville. I graduate Mississippi State in '04.

my advice to anyone........

go to the library!!!
meet up with people working on the same homework/projects as you. it took me a year before i fully realized that teachers WANT you to work together.

GET ORGANIZED!
Know when, where, what, who, and how many! Do everything possible to manage your time. i'm a world champion procrastinator, and there's nothing like fighting with the printer for your graphs 5 min. after class has started.

Talk to your teachers.
they are (for the most part) there to help you and will often give insights on problems if you have made an honest effort (even moreso if it is a group of you that can't figure it out).

i am a first generation college student and learned through the school of hard knocks what i could and couldn't do in college. i wish someone would have told me these things before i went, not that i would have listened right away.

my hated classes:
heat transfer
thermo I (flunked the first one. aced the next time around)
linear algebra (can YOU see the infinate dimension? get high and stare at a blank tv and you might)
Automation of mechanical systems (sounds kick ***, but i wish i knew nothing of PID controllers. Linear algebra, DE, and a little voodoo all in the mix.)
uncertainty analysis (EXACTLY how uncertain are you? the dean wrote the book, so this class WAS a certainty)

My favorite classes:
Mechanical drawing (my first engineering class)
Fluids
Statics
Mechanisms (gears, cams, and levers, oh, my!)
engineering economics
mechanical system design (whole pump/ piping / cooling systems)