(Taken from the UC Berkeley Course Guide)
The objectives of this course are to introduce students to modern experimental techniques for mechanical engineering, and to improve students' written and oral communication skills. Students will be provided exposure to, and experience with, a variety of sensors used in mechatronic systems including sensors to measure temperature, displacement, velocity, acceleration and strain. The role of error and uncertainty in measurements and analysis will be examined. Students will also be provided exposure to, and experience with, using commercial software for data acquisition and analysis. The role and limitations of spectral analysis of digital data will be discussed.
Engineering 26 (waived for Junior Transfers), Mechanical Engineering C85, ME 104, ME 132 (can be taken as a co-requisite if the course schedule allows) Electrical Engineering 16A or 40. Reading and Composition courses completed
Introduce students to modern experimental techniques for mechanical engineering; provide exposure to and experience with a variety of sensors used in mechatronic systems, including sensors to measure temperature, displacement, velocity, acceleration and strain; examine the role of error and uncertainty in measurements and analysis; exposure to and experience in using commercial software for data acquisition and analysis; discuss the role and limitations of spectral analysis of digital data; provide experience in working in a team in all aspects of the laboratory exercises, including set-up, data collection, analysis and report writing.
By the end of this course, students should: Know how to use, what can be measured with, and what the limitations are of the basic instruments found in the laboratory: oscilloscope, multimeter, counter/timer, analog-to-digital converter; know how to write a summary laboratory report; understand the relevance of uncertainty in measurements, and the propagation of uncertainty in calculations involving measurements; understand the physics behind the instruments and systems used in the laboratory; know how to program effectively using LabVIEW for data acquisition and analysis; understand the use of spectral analysis for characterizing the dynamic response of an instrument or of a system.
2 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory per week.