Engineering balance : the conceptual approach

Abstract

This work presents a view of balance useful for mechanical engineers. Mechanical engineers often need to make quick intelligent decisions using conceptual and physical understanding. The typical mechanical engineering instruction usually provides a good basis for "back of the envelope" calculations, especially for mechanical systems; however, one exception to this case is in the field of dynamics and control. Dynamics and control is generally taught with much math, modelling most systems with differential equations. Although math is useful for designing control systems, when designing products for people who act as sophisticated controllers the engineer needs a more general understanding of balance. This work presents a conceptual intuitive way to break the act of balance into distinct mechanisms and thereby quickly evaluate how a system balances.