Topic outline
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Why is an understanding of mechanics necessary?
- Many renewable energy conversion devices (such as wind turbines) are a complex arrangement of moving masses. In order to understand and analyse their behaviour, it is necessary to use the principles of mechanics.
- Renewable Energy devices convert one type of energy into another type (usually electricity). It is therefore essential to have a good understanding of work, power, energy and conversion efficiency.
Study tips
This unit consists of a series of compact study notes and self-test questions. You are recommended to study the unit in the following sequence:
- Tackle the pre-test questions, where available, to gauge your prior knowledge. This will indicate whether you need to concentrate on a particular unit.
- From the "Syllabus" page, work through the study notes sequentially. Make sure that you understand any worked examples.
- Where available, you may wish to tackle the self-test questions as they occur in the sequence. If you encounter difficulties, return to the study notes and focus on the relevant topics before re-visiting the self-test.
Objectives
After completing this topic, you should understand:
- The concepts of mass, force, velocity and acceleration and the use of vectors.
- The behaviour of bodies in linear and angular motion.
- The important concepts of work, power and energy.
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At the end of this section you should understand the concepts of velocity, speed and acceleration. You should also be able to solve problems involving:
- Linear motion.
- Angular motion.
- Circular motion.
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At the end of this section you should understand the relationship between mass, force and acceleration. And be able to solve problems using:
- Newton's 1st law of motion.
- Newton's 2nd law of motion (in terms of F = ma)
- Newton's 3rd law of motion.
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At the end of this section you should understand the concepts of:
- Work, energy and power.
- Conservation of Energy.
- Moment, couple and torque.
and sucessfully complete calculations using these concepts.
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