Electromechanics in the Undergraduate Curriculum

Electromechanics, not in the confined traditional sense, but rather as the broader subject of interactions between mechanical media and electromagnetic fields, represents an opportunity for teaching both mechanics and electromagnetic field theory to electrical engineering undergraduates. Over the past six years, text material, films, and demonstrations have been developed at M.I.T. for an undergraduate course which, in a fundamental way, serves the diversity of interests held by electrical engineers: interests that range from rotating machines to plasmas and from control systems to image processing techniques. A sumnmary is given of the philosophy, content, and organization of the course with emphasis given to "threads of continuity" and motivational material. The observations are made with the benefit of discussions from a workshop sponsored by the National Science Foundation, and held in the sunmmer of 1968. This workshop brought together interested faculty for discussions related to a course of the type described.