9/7/2023

Statics and Strength of Materials (MEMT 206)

Fall 2023 Course Policy

Dr. Timothy Reeves

Mechanical Engineering
237 Bogard Hall
treeves@latech.edu

Course Topics: Force/Moment balance; Stress and Deflection due to axial or bending loads;
Columns/Critical buckling load

Prerequisite: PHYS 209

Meeting Time/location: 8:00-9:15 MWF BOGH 327

Office Hours: Drop-in office hours will be posted on my door and on Moodle. You can also make an
appointment by email. All office visits can be done in person or via Zoom. If you drop by outside of office
hours and without an appointment, I may ask you to come back later.

Required Text: Statics and Mechanics of Materials - An Integrated Approach, Second Edition. Riley,
Sturges and Morris. Wiley, 1995 or later. ISBN 0-471-43446-9.

Required Technology: Laptop or smartphone with Moodle access for in-class attendance quizzes. Laptop
with Excel, PowerPoint, and permission to install additional software.

Calculators: You will often need a scientific calculator to work problems. Bring a calculator to every
class. Graphing calculators not allowed for in-class quizzes or exams.

Attendance: Class attendance is regarded as an obligation as well as a privilege. Attendance will be

recorded each class period through a Moodle quiz. You are expected to attend regularly and punctually.
You are responsible for all information discussed in class, even if you are absent. Excused absences (such
as sickness, death in family, court, official university business) require written documentation and prior
notification (except for emergencies). Taking an attendance quiz when you are not present, or not present
yet, is considered cheating.

Grading:
In-class Exams (5) 30%
Comprehensive Final Exam 14%
Online Homework 10%
Written Homework 10%
Projects 20%
Attendance quizzes 10%
Professional Development 5%
ABET Course Evaluation 1%

Grading Scale:
A total course grade of 90% deserves an A, 80% a B, 70% a C, and 60% a D. I will extend grace to students
as follows: A total course grade of 89% will receive an A, 79% a B, 69% a C, and 56% a D. There will be
no rounding (88.999% will receive a B, etc.) or extra opportunities given to students who end up just below
a boundary. The CET program requires a C or better in this course to progress in the curriculum.

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Exams: Exams will be computer-graded as much as possible. There may be a manually-graded portion if
necessary; this will be communicated to the students in advance of the quiz or exam. Any exams missed
for other than a documented illness or family emergency or for official University business will be recorded
with a zero grade. Non-emergency situations require approval prior to the test.

Homework:
Online homework will be assigned and submitted in the form of Moodle quizzes, with no hand-written
submission. However, it is wise for you to practice clear formatting techniques and to show all of your
work clearly, especially diagrams. This practice will help you organize your knowledge and find clarity as
you review for exams. Before each exam, you will be required to turn in a written submission of one
problem. Hand-written or partially hand-written submissions (with the rest being computer-generated by
you) are acceptable. These will be reviewed for professionalism, neatness, and completeness. They must
be in PDF format, 8.5” x 11” printable pages. They must be clearly legible: not blurry, shadowy, or
pixelated when displayed on-screen in Adobe Reader at normal size, or when printed. The exam will ask
you some questions about the written submission; you may bring a physical copy of the written submission
to the exam for your reference, but the digital submission is the one that will be graded. Minimum
requirements for these submissions are below.

Written Homework Format:

Given: Summarize the given information and draw the given diagrams. The primary intention
is for you to internalize/interpret the given data.
Required: Identify/describe what the question is seeking.
Solution: Draw a clear, accurate FBD (if equilibrium equations are to be written)

Identify the specific equations that you will employ; write them out before you plug in values.

Plug in the numbers and units, then solve. Use sentences as necessary to explain your processes.

Report the answer with 2 to 4 significant digits and appropriate units. Place the final answer in
a box with units and direction, if applicable.
Discussion: Reflect on one or two of the following, then write a few sentences. Think about
why you were assigned this particular problem: How is it similar to other problems you've seen;
how is it different? Is there one special step or idea that seems to hold the key to solving it?
What new information have you learned about the way real objects behave? Does your answer
agree with your intuition; explain? What assumptions are limiting the accuracy of this solution?
Notes:
1. At a minimum, FBD’s should contain the following:
a. Some recognizable representation of the objects included
b. All KNOWN forces and couples, drawn at the appropriate locations on the objects, with
correct line of action and the correct sense indicated, and labeled
c. All UNKNOWN forces and couples, drawn at the appropriate locations on the objects, with
correct line of action and the assumed sense indicated, and labeled
d. Sufficient size and detail so as to be clearly readable

 Remember, the purpose of homework is for you to learn and practice. You are unlikely to be successful
on exams without a strong effort on the homework.
 Online homework is due according to the dates visible on Moodle.
 Other sources of information about homework problems (e.g. Chegg, solutions manuals, etc.) are of
questionable integrity and should not be used.

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Professional Development: You will receive credit for participating in professionally-oriented student
organization official meetings (ASCE, ASME, etc.) and community service hours directed to the University
or to a recognized non-profit organization. Service to one’s own family (including fraternity/sorority) is
not accepted, although service to accepted recipients which is organized through fraternity/sorority is
accepted. For full credit, 5 items total is required for the quarter; these 5 must include attendance to at least
1 organization meeting and at least 1 hour of service. You must use the template on Moodle for reporting
these items.
Minimum Requirements: If you do any of the following, you will receive an “F” in the course, regardless
of your overall average:
 Score zero on more than half of the attendance quizzes
 Score zero on any quiz or the final exam
 Score zero on any part of the project

Artificial Intelligence: Artificial intelligence systems such as ChatGPT and others are becoming more
versatile and more useful. However, assignments that you will submit for grades in this course are intended
to represent your thoughts and understanding. Artificial intelligence systems should not be used to generate
content that will be turned in for a grade in this course.

Honor code: In accordance with the Academic Honor Code, students pledge the following: “Being a
student of higher standards, I pledge to embody the principles of academic integrity.” A violation of the
Academic Honor Code will result in a grade for all involved students on the affected assignment of negative
the full point value of the assignment. You are permitted, and to a great extent encouraged, to seek the
advice of others on homework assignments. However, students must submit their own work, and the work
they submit must represent their own understanding of the material. All violations will be reported to the
Honor Council as required by the University. For a complete copy of the Honor Code go to the following
web page: http://www.latech.edu/documents/honor-code.pdf
Inappropriate assistance for homework: Copying off another person's or group's paper, copying
information from the solution of homework from previous quarters, from solutions manuals, or
from the internet, or using another person’s computer program to solve your homework problems.
Inappropriate assistance on quizzes and exams: All work must be your own (no looking at other
people's paper, no talking, and no use of electronic information or otherwise unauthorized
information). Unauthorized viewing of exams or exam questions from prior quarters is considered
cheating, as well as capturing of current exams or exam questions.
NOTE: The instructor is not required to have irrefutable proof that cheating took place in order to initiate
disciplinary action against the suspected student(s).

Accommodations for students with disabilities: Students needing testing or classroom accommodations
based on a disability are encouraged to discuss those needs with me as soon as possible.

Counseling Services
a. Information and contact numbers and sites for Louisiana Tech Counseling Services are located at:
https://www.latech.edu/current-students/student-advancement-affairs/counseling-services/

Campus Food Pantry

a. Location: Carson-Taylor Hall, room #152
c. Eligibility Requirements: Currently enrolled at La. Tech
Tech CWID #

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Tech e-mail
Completion of paperwork for enrollment
d. On-line Grocery Ordering link and access to enrollment paperwork:
https://www.latech.edu/food-pantry/

E-mail: E-mail may be used to deliver important or urgent information throughout the semester. You are
responsible for checking your Tech e-mail for such information.

COVID-19 related information:

a. Students can access COVID-19-related information at Louisiana Tech’s website:
https://www.latech.edu/coronavirus/.
b. Students testing positive for COVID-19 report directly to the instructor in order to arrange
classroom absence arrangements. Documentation is required for an excused absence.
c. All absences related to COVID-19 will be handled in accordance with the attendance policy listed
herein.

Face-to-face policies:
a. If the instructor becomes ill, a substitute instructor will provide class if possible; otherwise the
course will rely on pre-recorded video content.
b. Students should follow university policy for wearing of masks, social distancing, cleaning of desks,
etc.
c. Students planning to visit office hours have the option of attending via Zoom; an appointment is
needed in this case.
d. Quizzes and the final exam will be administered in person according to the schedule on Moodle.
Those unable to attend for legitimate reasons should notify the instructor immediately to discuss
alternative arrangements.

Emergency notification system: All Louisiana Tech students are strongly encouraged to enroll and update
their contact information in the Emergency Notification System. It takes just a few seconds to ensure you’re
able to receive important text and voice alerts in the event of a campus emergency. For more information
on the Emergency Notification System, please visit: http://www.latech.edu/administration/ens.shtml.

Student Learning Outcomes: Students who are successful in this course will be able to…
1. Recognize and solve for forces in an equilibrium problem for a concurrent force system (forces
through a point). [SO-1]
2. Recognize and solve a problem involving normal stress, shearing stress, and bearing stress. [SO-1]
3. Recognize and solve a problem involving axial displacement, deformation, and strain. [SO-1]
4. Identify points (yield stress, modulus of elasticity, ultimate stress, etc.) on a stress-strain curve and
explain the differences in elastic and plastic performance in a structural member. [SO-1]
5. Perform calculations to find a centroid of an area. [SO-1]
6. Draw a free body diagram of a structural member using the equations of statics. [SO-1]
7. Find the reactions at supports in a loaded structural member using the equations of statics. [SO-1]
8. Draw a free-body diagram for one side of a beam with a cross-sectional cut. [SO-1]
9. Compute the magnitude and centroid of a distributed load on a beam. [SO-1]
10. Draw basic shear force diagrams of structural members. [SO-1]
11. Draw basic bending moment diagrams of structural members. [SO-1]
12. Compute the reactions acting upon a truss. [SO-1]
13. Employ the method of joints to solve for the forces in specific members of a truss. [SO-1]
14. Employ the method of sections to solve for the forces in specific members of a truss. [SO-1]
15. Design a structural member to meet the requirements of a specified factor of safety and determine
what 'controls the design' (i.e. what causes the structural member to fail first.) [SO-1, 2, 3]

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16. Design a simple beam based on flexural stresses and shear stresses caused during a structural
loading. [SO-1, 2, 3]
17. Design a column based on the yield stress of the material of the column and the critical load due to
buckling. [SO-1, 2, 3]
18. Calculate basic deflection due to bending in a simply loaded beam. [SO-1]
19. Explain the relevance and importance of computer software for analysis of complex structures or
for repetitive calculations. (e.g. Excel, Mathcad, etc.) [SO-3]
20. Present work well in writing, verbally, or in a professional presentation format. (e.g. PowerPoint).
[SO-3]

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