| Unit name | Engineering Mathematics 1 |
|---|---|
| Unit code | EMAT10100 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Champneys |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Engineering Mathematics and Technology |
| Faculty | Faculty of Engineering |
Why is this unit important?
The principal aim of the unit is to bring students entering any of ourengineering undergraduate degree programmes up to a common standard in mathematics. The unit contains the well-recognised elements of classical engineering mathematics that universally underpin the formation of the professional engineer.
As well as bringing you up to speed in fundamental mathematical concepts including algebra, calculus, probability, differential equations and numerical analysis, the unit also aims to illustrate how mathematics is the language of abstraction that enables transfer of concepts across different engineering topics and disciplines. The benefit of learning in interdisciplinary engineering cohorts is that mathematics is a universal language that transcends the different engineering disciplines.
While the ability to perform appropriate algebraic calculations is important, we will also stress how to think geometrically using appropriate graphs and illustrations. We will also stress the theory behind mathematical structures and calculations that remain important when these are represented in a computer.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit teaches concepts that will be of immediate use to all other engineering units in Year One of engineering undergraduate programmes at the University of Bristol. In particular, the mathematical structures and calculation techniques covered in this unit will be directly useful for Engineering Science units, since the mathematical abstraction provided in this unit is key to understanding how different physical principles fit together.
For practical and experimental units, the mathematics covered here will help you with planning, dimensional analysis, error analysis and data processing. For computational units, the mathematics covered here will help you to understand fundamental concepts like data structures and convergence. The course also provides all the essential pre-requisites for Engineering Mathematics 2 in second year, which takes the concepts of calculus and mathematical models into multi-dimensional settings and introduces concepts related to uncertainty and statistical modelling in much greater depth.
An overview of content
This unit covers five main sections:
Algebra (vectors, complex numbers, matrices as transformations, solving equations using matrices, eigenvalues and eigenvectors);
Calculus (functions and curve sketching; differentiation and integration of functions of one variable, Taylor series, numerical root finding, introduction to partial differentiation);
Probability (basic concepts, events, random variables, empirical discrete and continuous distributions);
Differential Equations (concepts, separation of variables, linear first and second-order equations, systems);
Numerical Analysis (concepts, iteration and root funding, numerical solution of ordinary differential equations);
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Throughout this unit, there is a focus on you developing your problem-solving skills using the mathematical techniques you have learnt. You will be better equipped to solve unseen real-world problems involving mathematical concepts such as linear algebra, calculus and probability and you will be better able to formulate engineering problems using mathematical notation and equations. Another key skill that you will develop is the ability to abstract from an engineering or physical concept to a mathematical representation in order to identify solution strategies.
At the end of this unit, you will understand more of the connection between different mathematical problems and you will be well-equipped to develop your engineering analysis skills in the next part of your study to enable a future career in the engineering sector.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions, including pre-recorded video lectures, on-campus interactive problem-solving lectures, and formative self-directed exercises. The unit will be supported by regular drop-in sessions where you can get one-to-one help, as well as an online forum where you can receive rapid answers to pressing questions. You will be expected to actively participate in the problem-solving lectures and to engage with the videos, self-directed exercises, and drop-in sessions.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Formative tasks include weekly problem sheets, which combine simpler questions that will enable you to practice the basic concepts and more challenging questions that serve as practice examples for the main summative exam. All such questions will either have written worked solutions provided or the solutions will be worked through together in class. In addition, there will be regular online short-answer randomised tests that provide you with immediate feedback on their progress. Finally, to aid revision for the main summative exam, a number of past papers and full worked solutions will be made available.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
The main summative assessment for this unit, worth 80% of the unit mark, is a single three-hour written examination that takes place in the Summer (TB2) examination period. This will assess all of the Learning Outcomes.
There will also be two interim assessments (worth 10% of the unit each) that take the form of online short-answer open-book randomised tests. These take place outside of the main exam periods, one in the latter half of TB1 and one in the latter half of TB2. These assess Learning Outcome 1 only; assessing these core skills at an early stage will help ensure that you can build on these skills later in this unit and in other parts of Year 1 of their programme.
When assessment does not go to plan:
Re-assessment will be via a single three-hour written examination in the same format as the Summer (TB2) exam, which will be worth 100% of the reassessment. This will assess all learning outcomes.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EMAT10100).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
