Engineering Analysis: Dynamics

Course Description

EGN2322 – Engineering Analysis: Dynamics is a 3-credit lecture course in the Engineering: General taxonomy of Florida's Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS). The course presents the analysis of particles and rigid bodies in motion using a vector approach. Students learn the kinematics of particles and rigid bodies, the kinetics of motion using Newton's second law, and the principles of work and energy and impulse and momentum. EGN2322 completes the lower-division engineering mechanics sequence that began with EGN2312 (Engineering Analysis: Statics).

EGN2322 is offered at Florida State Colleges (Eastern Florida State College, Valencia College, Miami Dade College, Seminole State College, Palm Beach State College, Pasco-Hernando State College, and others) as part of the engineering A.A. transfer pathway. It articulates as equivalent to EGN3321 – Engineering Analysis: Dynamics taught at Florida public universities, providing a common pathway for students preparing to transfer into upper-division engineering programs in mechanical, civil, aerospace, biomedical, and industrial engineering.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Apply principles of kinematics to describe rectilinear and curvilinear motion of particles, including position, velocity, and acceleration relationships.
• Analyze particle motion in rectangular, normal-tangential, cylindrical, and polar coordinate systems.
• Apply Newton's second law to determine forces and accelerations in particle motion using free-body and kinetic diagrams.
• Apply work-energy principles to particle motion, including conservative and non-conservative forces, kinetic energy, and potential energy.
• Apply impulse-momentum principles to particles, including the analysis of impacts and collisions (elastic, inelastic, and oblique).
• Apply principles of angular momentum to particle systems.
• Analyze the kinematics of rigid bodies in plane motion, including translation, rotation about a fixed axis, and general plane motion using instantaneous centers and relative-motion methods.
• Apply kinetics of rigid bodies in plane motion, including force-mass-acceleration analysis with appropriate mass moments of inertia.
• Apply work-energy and impulse-momentum methods to rigid-body plane motion.

Optional Outcomes

Depending on institutional emphasis, students may also:

• Apply principles of three-dimensional kinematics and kinetics of rigid bodies (typically deferred to upper-division dynamics courses).
• Analyze introductory mechanical vibrations, including undamped free vibrations of single-degree-of-freedom systems.
• Use computational tools (MATLAB, Python, or Mathcad) to solve dynamic systems numerically.
• Analyze dependent motion of connected particles using cable and pulley systems.
• Apply principles of kinetics in central force problems, including planetary motion (orbits) and gravitational attraction.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Kinematics of a Particle: Rectilinear motion (constant and variable acceleration); curvilinear motion in rectangular, normal-tangential, and cylindrical/polar coordinates; relative motion analysis; dependent motion.
• Kinetics of a Particle: Force and Acceleration: Newton's second law; equations of motion in various coordinate systems.
• Kinetics of a Particle: Work and Energy: Work of constant and variable forces; principle of work and energy; conservative forces and conservation of energy; power and efficiency.
• Kinetics of a Particle: Impulse and Momentum: Linear impulse and momentum; conservation of linear momentum; impact (central and oblique, elastic and inelastic); angular impulse and momentum.
• Planar Kinematics of Rigid Bodies: Translation, rotation about a fixed axis, general plane motion; relative-velocity and relative-acceleration analyses; instantaneous center of zero velocity.
• Planar Kinetics of Rigid Bodies: Force and Acceleration: Mass moment of inertia; equations of motion for translation, rotation, and general plane motion.
• Planar Kinetics of Rigid Bodies: Work and Energy: Kinetic energy of rigid bodies; principle of work and energy applied to rigid-body motion.
• Planar Kinetics of Rigid Bodies: Impulse and Momentum: Linear and angular momentum of rigid bodies; conservation of momentum; eccentric impact.

Optional Topics

• Three-Dimensional Rigid-Body Motion: Spatial motion concepts; introduction to angular velocity and acceleration in 3D.
• Mechanical Vibrations (Introductory): Free undamped vibrations; introduction to natural frequency and amplitude.
• Computational Dynamics: Numerical solution of equations of motion using MATLAB or Python.
• Central Force Motion: Newton's law of gravitation; orbital mechanics (introductory).
• Variable-Mass Systems: Rocket propulsion concepts (introductory).

Resources & Tools

• Standard Textbooks: Engineering Mechanics: Dynamics by R.C. Hibbeler (most widely adopted in Florida); Vector Mechanics for Engineers: Dynamics by Beer, Johnston, Mazurek, Cornwell, and Self; Engineering Mechanics: Dynamics by Meriam, Kraige, and Bolton
• Online Homework Platforms: Pearson Mastering Engineering (commonly required); McGraw-Hill Connect
• Calculation Tools: Scientific or graphing calculator with vector/matrix capability (TI-89, TI-Nspire CX CAS, or equivalent)
• Computational Tools: MATLAB or Python (NumPy/SciPy) for numerical integration of equations of motion
• UCF Curriculum Alignment Resources: The UCF Curriculum Alignment Project publishes common course outlines and assessment items aligning EGN2322 across Florida State College Direct-Connect institutions
• Visualization Resources: Animated motion simulations and demonstrations available through MathWorks and other educational publishers

Career Pathways

EGN2322 is a foundational course for any engineering specialty involving motion, mechanisms, and time-varying systems. Successful completion supports progression into the following:

• Engineering A.A. Transfer Pathway – Required course for transfer to upper-division engineering programs at Florida public universities (UF, USF, UCF, FAU, FIU, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, FGCU, Florida Polytechnic University, UNF).
• Mechanical Engineering – Foundation for machine design, kinematics of mechanisms, vehicle dynamics, robotics, and mechanical vibrations.
• Aerospace Engineering – Foundation for orbital mechanics, flight dynamics, propulsion analysis, and launch vehicle design — directly relevant to Florida's Space Coast aerospace industry.
• Civil Engineering – Foundation for structural dynamics, earthquake engineering, and transportation engineering.
• Biomedical Engineering – Foundation for human movement analysis, gait analysis, and the design of orthopedic and rehabilitation devices.
• Industrial and Robotics Engineering – Foundation for the analysis of automated systems, manipulators, and motion control.

Special Information

Articulation with EGN3321

EGN2322 is articulated as equivalent to EGN3321 – Engineering Analysis: Dynamics taught at Florida public universities. Students who complete EGN2322 with a satisfactory grade typically receive transfer credit for EGN3321 at receiving universities. The two courses share substantially identical learning outcomes, problem types, and textbooks; the principal difference is the institutional setting (lower-division at colleges, upper-division at universities). Students should verify articulation through the Florida SCNS or the receiving institution's transfer office.

Course Format and Workload

EGN2322 is typically delivered as a 3-credit lecture course (45 contact hours) with substantial out-of-class problem-solving expectations. Online homework platforms such as Mastering Engineering are widely used to support practice and feedback. Students should expect a significant time commitment, as dynamics problem-solving requires both physical insight and mathematical proficiency.

FE Examination Preparation

Dynamics is a major topic area on the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination. Mastery of kinematics, Newton's second law, and energy/momentum methods developed in EGN2322 directly supports FE preparation, the first step toward Professional Engineer (P.E.) licensure in Florida.