Abstract:

In teaching Mathematics, a transdisciplinary perspective is required that crosses the specific knowledge of each discipline. The development of this approach is established through an interdisciplinary research strategy that is achieved through the articulation and integration of disciplinary knowledge from the very beginning of the student’s research, that is, across the delimitation and conceptualization of the problem. Modelling and simulation require prior conceptual and theoretical work that leads precisely to the need to consider algorithmic or computational problems.
The research group involved in this presentation has been implementing methodological changes in the areas of basic sciences and basic technologies, with the objectives to introduce students to applied technologies and complementary subjects; trying to adapt the curriculum in a flexible manner, with the purpose to include new contents.
Recent research emphasizes the importance of making close contacts between mathematic and engineering departments with the intention of discussing the students’ competencies required. Among these competences, the modelling competence is privileged because it plays a fundamental role to prepare students in engineering nature problems, and because it constitutes a tool that makes it possible to open different channels to organize engineering activities with the intention of replacing methodologies that were used in the past by new ones to update information on math skills.
In this context and taking into account the aforementioned, different interventions are carried out in Advanced Calculus to establish strategies that support the methodological changes necessary to address engineering problems of increasing complexity from the beginning. It is intended to integrate the technical and scientific knowledge acquired at different levels in solving problems.
This presentation shows the design project implemented to combine the knowledge of mathematics related to the analysis of a robotics system using numerical and computational tools calculation so that students can analyse, develop and simulate a computational model efficiently.
The movement of a robot pendulum will be analyzed considering the dynamic model to which it responds, and the position control mechanisms necessary for its operation. The objective is to apply in an integral way the concepts of Differential Equations and Taylor Series already learned necessary to be able to model the system. Developing a simulation process is a non-trivial stage for students and involves aspects that require selecting the most appropriate numerical method both in terms of accuracy result and computational performance.

Keywords:

transdisciplinary project, modelling competence, simulation process.