Instructor

Prof. Mandar M. Inamdar

Section

S2 (BC student so had the privilege to choose the section :) but in general first half of the batch was in S1 and other half in S2 )

Semester

Spring

Course Difficulty

Moderate (builds on JEE-level Mechanics)

Time Commitment Required

The initial half of the course is comparatively easy as it involves just the revision of JEE stuff. In the second half though, you will get to learn new (and interesting) concepts. Overall the course tests your problem solving skills, so once you have read the topic, performance boils down to problem solving. Solving the tutorial sets and the additional problems (provided by the instructor) would suffice. So if one is attentive in the class and attends the tutorial sessions regularly then two hours per week would help you sail through the course easily.

Grading

Absolute (80+ AA and so on) but chill

Attendance Policy

80% attendance compulsory, else DX grade

Pre-requisites

None. It builds the foundation for the third sem core course - Solid Mechanics

Evaluation Scheme and Weightages

The evaluation was based on two quizzes (one in each half semester) accounting for 10% each, mid semester examination (accounting for 30%) and end semester examination (accounting for 50%). Good performance in the end semester exam, therefore, was crucially important for a good grade.

Topics Covered in the Course

Introduction and Fundamentals of Mechanics, Equilibrium of 2D and 3D systems, Truss, Friction, Methods of Virtual Work(you’ll surely love this) and Potential Energy, Vibrations.

Quality of Lectures

The instructor has a good command over the subject and explains the concepts well. Though the course is purely based on problem solving, the instructor makes sure that you can qualitatively draw conclusions from the problem. The classes are very interactive and probably you won’t sleep during the lectures (:p). After each sub-topic the instructor solves a problem to give an insight into the applications of the theory learnt because at the end that is all that matters in terms of the evaluation in the course. In general, you won’t regret attending his lectures ;P