VIRTUAL LABORATORY OF DYNAMICS

The classical method used in teaching dynamics in engineering faculties involves graphical representations of various mechanical systems, which can be difficult to draw and to understand. On the other hand, animated graphical representations can provide valuable tools for the modern teaching of this discipline. The authors of the paper developed a number of specialized computer codes, each one dedicated to a dynamics problem. These form a virtual laboratory, which is used at the University “Politehnica” of Bucharest, in the first year of study, during the practical sessions of mechanics.

The programs have user-friendly graphical interfaces, by means of which the students can easily input various values of the definition parameters, in order to understand their influence upon the behavior of the studied systems. The paper presents some of these programs, the basic algorithms used in their development and examples of the graphical representations that can be obtained by their use.

The experience gained during the application of this new method of teaching showed that the use of the virtual laboratory has significantly increased the students’ interest in the taught course, as well and their learning performance in dynamics.