Bringing equations and formulas alive and making them more meaningful to students

Abstract

Summary form only given. Mathematical equations are the language for solving problems in engineering. This is particularly true for the student in the classroom and the worker on a research project. In general students have a very poor grasp of mathematical relations. Many lack the skill for simple manipulation, but even the good manipulators very seldom have more than a superficial insight of the meaning of an equation. The following issues are addressed: using symbols in equations, checking units, testing for limiting values, interpreting the results, obtaining a feeling for the numbers, using appropriate prefixes, using graphs, and estimating numerical values.