Instructor Insights

Instructor Insights pages are part of the OCW Educator initiative, which seeks to enhance the value of OCW for educators.

Course Overview

This page focuses on the course 2.080J Structural Mechanics as it was taught by Prof. Tomasz Wierzbicki in Fall 2013.

This course teaches students fundamental concepts of structural mechanics with applications to marine, civil, and mechanical structures.

Course Outcomes

Course Goals for Students

  • Use the one-dimensional and two-dimensional structural idealizations of beams, columns, columns, rods, and shell beams to determine stress and deformation states
  • Apply such structural idealizations to model general structural configurations under specified loading in order to determine the stress and deformation states
  • Assess the applicability of such structural idealizations and judge the errors introduced in their use
 

Curriculum Information

Prerequisites

2.002 Mechanics and Materials II

Requirements Satisfied

This course is designed to provide substantial coverage of material required for the doctoral qualifying exam in structures.

Offered

Every fall semester

The Classroom

  • A medium-sized classroom with auditorium style seating and several blackboards.

    Room 1 of 1

    Lecture & Recitation

    Lecture and recitation took place in this classroom, which can accommodate 57 students.

 

Assessment

The students' grades were based on the following activities:

The color used on the preceding chart which represents the percentage of the total grade contributed by problem sets. 25% Problem sets
The color used on the preceding chart which represents the percentage of the total grade contributed by quiz 1. 20% Quiz 1
The color used on the preceding chart which represents the percentage of the total grade contributed by quiz 2. 20% Quiz 2
The color used on the preceding chart which represents the percentage of the total grade contributed by quiz 3. 35% Quiz 3
 

Student Information

In Fall 2013, 48 students took this course.

Breakdown by Year

This is a graduate-level course, but advanced undergraduates may also enroll.

Breakdown by Major

Students from the mechanical engineering and the civil engineering departments took this course.

 

How Student Time Was Spent

During an average week, students were expected to spend 12 hours on the course, roughly divided as follows:

Lecture

3 hours per week
  • Met twice per week for 1.5 hours per session; 24 sessions total
  • Prof. Wierzbicki introduced new material to the class
 

Recitation

1 hours per week
  • Met once per week for one hour per session; 12 sessions total
  • Teaching assistants reviewed lecture material
 

Out of Class

8 hours per week
 

Semester Breakdown

WEEK M T W Th F
1 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. Lecture session. No session scheduled. Recitation session.
2 Lecture session. No session scheduled. Lecture session; assignment due date. No session scheduled. Recitation session.
3 Lecture session. No session scheduled. Lecture session; assignment due date. No session scheduled. No classes throughout MIT.
4 Lecture session. No session scheduled. Lecture session; assignment due date. No session scheduled. Recitation session.
5 Lecture session. No session scheduled. Lecture session; quiz held. No session scheduled. Recitation session.
6 Lecture session. No session scheduled. Lecture session; assignment due date. No session scheduled. Recitation session.
7 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. Lecture session; assignment due date. No session scheduled. Recitation session.
8 Lecture session. No session scheduled. Lecture session; assignment due date. No session scheduled. Recitation session.
9 Lecture session. No session scheduled. Lecture session; quiz held. No session scheduled. Recitation session.
10 Lecture session. No session scheduled. Lecture session; assignment due date. No session scheduled. Recitation session.
11 No classes throughout MIT. No session scheduled. Lecture session; assignment due date. No session scheduled. Recitation session.
12 Lecture session. No session scheduled. Lecture session; assignment due date. No session scheduled. Recitation session.
13 Lecture session. No session scheduled. Lecture session; assignment due date. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT.
14 Lecture session. No session scheduled. Lecture session. No session scheduled. Recitation session.
15 Lecture session. No session scheduled. Lecture session; quiz held. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT.
16 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT.
Displays the color and pattern used on the preceding table to indicate dates when classes are not held at MIT. No classes throughout MIT
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when lecture sessions are held. Lecture session
Displays the symbol used on the preceding table to indicate dates when assignments are due. Assignment due date
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when no class session is scheduled. No class session scheduled
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when recitation sessions are held. Recitation session
Displays the symbol used on the preceding table to indicate dates when quizzes are held. Quiz