1. Fundamentals of Mathematics for Engineers Lab
Images:
ENGR 2194
Lab # 5 – Derivatives in Engineering: Velocity and Acceleration in Free-Fall

2. Real-World Example Related to Topic!
Free-Fall Amusement Park Ride
Real-World Example Related to Topic!
Many engineering disciplines (e.g., electrical, mechanical) commonly use:
Derivatives
Rate of change
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3. Today's Learning Objectives
After today's lab, students will be able to:
Understand the relationship between position, velocity, and acceleration
Identify the key parameters of freefall
The objective of this laboratory is to learn basics of derivatives in engineering and the relationship between position, velocity, and acceleration

4. Position, Velocity & Acceleration
𝑣 𝑡 = 𝑑𝑦 𝑑𝑡
𝑣 𝑡 = 𝑦 2 − 𝑦 1 𝑡 2 − 𝑡 1
Velocity, v(t)
𝑎 𝑡 = 𝑑 2 𝑦 𝑑 𝑡 2 = 𝑑𝑣 𝑑𝑡
𝑎 𝑡 = 𝑣 2 − 𝑣 1 𝑡 2 − 𝑡 1
Acceleration, a(t)

5. Lab Equipment and MATLAB
dropball.m
%% Set sample rate and data rate here (please do not modify any other code) %
% the default sample rate is per sec
sr = 20000;
% the default collection window length is 10 seconds
sd = 10;
% the matlab (mat) file for data storage
% this is the file that will be analyzed using dropballAnalysis.m
filename='dropballData';
Lab apparatus and portion of MATLAB code that needs to be modified. May need to provide guidance on Excel too.
dropballDataAnalysis.m
%% load data taken using the dropball script
load('dropballData100');

6. Important Takeaways Essential to Engineers Derivatives Rate of change
Technical Computing
MATLAB

7. Preview of Next Lab Excel Supplemental Instruction #1 Image: