Mechanical Design Handbook

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Showing posts from September, 2008

Improve math skills of your kids - Learn step-by-step arithmetic from Math games

Math: Unknown - Step-by-step math calculation game for iOS.

Download on the App Store | Facebook | Website

Math: Unknown is much more than a math game. It is a step-by-step math calculation game which will teach users how to calculate in the correct order rather than just asking only the final calculated results.

The app consists of four basic arithmetic operations which are addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. In order to get started, users who are new to arithmetic can learn from animated calculation guides showing step-by-step procedures of solving each type of operation. It is also helpful for experienced users as a quick reference.

Generally, addition and subtraction may be difficult for users who just start learning math especially when questions require carrying or borrowing (also called regrouping). The app helps users to visualize the process of carrying and borrowing in the way it will be done on paper. Once users understand how these operations work, they are ready to learn multiplication and division.

For most students, division is considered as the most difficult arithmetic operation to solve. It is a common area of struggle since it requires prior knowledge of both multiplication and subtraction. To help users understand division, the app uses long division to teach all calculation procedures. Relevant multiplication table will be shown beside the question. Users will have to pick a number from the table which go into the dividend. Multiplication of selected number and divisor is automatically calculated, but the users have to do subtraction and drop down the next digit themselves. Learning whole calculation processes will make them master it in no time.

Math: Unknown is a helpful app for students who seriously want to improve arithmetic calculation skills.

Dynamic Simulation using UG NX4 Motion Simulation Module

Which software are you using in your mechanical design project? I have been using Solid Edge 3D CAD software for 1-2 years for my mechanical design projects in the past. But now, according to the standardization in my design organization, I have to switch to use Unigraphics software instead, or we call it in short as "UG NX4" (the latest version is NX6). To be honest, at first I still like Solid Edge because I think I can make modeling and assembly in Solid Edge faster and easier than in UG. But one of the good thing for UG is Motion Simulation module that help me simulate the movement of mechanical assemblies before releasing for manufacturing. I know that Solid Edge also has this kind of simulation module, but I didn't have a chance to use (no license). So in this post, I would like to share how easy to set up motion simulation in UG NX4. Let's start with a very simple modeling. I would like to see how the cylinder moves when it is pushed by the rotating l...

Motion Simulation in Solid Edge using sketches together with Microsoft Excel VBA Programming Part III

In previous example , I showed how to control variables in Solid Edge sketch using direct link to excel spreadsheet. In this example, I am going to show how to use VBA (Visual Basic for Application) in excel to control the variables in Solid Edge sketch. 1) Create new file in Microsoft Excel 2) Press Alt+F11 to enter Microsoft Visual Basic windows as shown below 3) Right click in Project Explorer at new file name (in this example, new excel file name = Book2) > Insert > Module 4) To make Solid Edge type libraries available to the Visual Basic Object Browser, click References on the Project menu. On the References dialog box, select the Solid Edge libraries you want to access. All variable automation is accessed through the Variables collection and Variable objects. The Variables collection serves two purposes: it allows you to create and access variable objects, and it allows you to work with dimensions as variables. Note: When debugging programs that interact with the Variable ...