Mechanical Design Handbook

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Showing posts from March, 2009

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.

Sizing the Flywheel

The energy-storage capacity of a flywheel is determined from its polar moment of inertia J and its maximum safe running speed.The necessary inertia depends on the cyclic torque variation and the allowable speed variation or, in the case of energystorage flywheels, the maximum energy requirements. The safe running speed depends on the geometry and material properties of the flywheel. Flywheels store energy. Indeed, flywheels are used as energy reservoirs. Their principal use in machine design, however, is to smooth the variations in shaft speed that are caused by loads or power sources that vary in a cyclic fashion. By using its stored kinetic energy 0.5Jω 2 to absorb the variations in torque during a machine cycle, a flywheel smooths the fluctuating speed of a machine and reduces undesirable transient loads. The effect of a flywheel is therefore fundamentally different from that of a regulator: A flywheel limits the speed variation over one cycle and has minimal effect on the average...