Student understanding of the laws that describe the flow of a fluid is often hampered by a defective knowledge of basic classical mechanics (kinematics, statics, dynamics, and conservation laws) and by wrong common-sense ideas about quantities related to fluids, such as velocity and pressure. A pedagogical discussion about the Venturi effect,…

A physical process analogy of the learning process was studied using a hydraulic method. Detailed educational guidance describing applied pedagogical concepts for technical instructors of the civil, mechanical, chemical and materials engineering disciplines was formulated. A unified engineering-friendly formulation of learning processes using a…

The "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS") state that by the end of fifth grade, students are expected to understand the water cycle, also called the hydrologic cycle, and the three states of matter in which water can exist (NGSS Lead States 2013). Logically, many educators choose to teach these topics concurrently or…

This article reports research into the didactic processes of a creative gamified learning process for hydraulics in an undergraduate technical university curriculum, enhanced by industry collaboration. It is based on the use of educational theories of didactic transposition, competency building, learning gamification and emotional intelligence. It…

The energy potentially available from waves around the coast of the UK far exceeds our domestic and industrial demands and yet, despite much research, numerous patent applications and several pilot schemes, the exploitation of waves for their energy largely remains in transition between development and commercialisation. This article examines the…

The urgency of the given problem is caused by the necessity to develop an innovative education system capable of producing highly qualified specialists with a wide range of social and professional activities and broad-based abilities ready for individual operating innovative activities. The article is intended to searching for the ways of…

Several methodological approaches to improve the understanding and motivation of students in Hydraulic Engineering courses have been adopted in the Agricultural Engineering School at Technical University of Madrid. During three years student's progress and satisfaction have been assessed by continuous monitoring and the use of…

Exchanges of learning and controversies between engineers and mathematicians were important factors in the development of early modern science. This theme is discussed by focusing, first, on architectural and mathematical dynamism in mid 16th-century Milan. While some engineers-architects referred to Euclid and Vitruvius for improving their…

Threshold concepts are transformative, integrative, and provocative; understanding these difficult concepts allows students to be capable of solving advanced problems. This investigation and evaluation of a metacognitive curricular approach explore variation in students' and teachers' discernment of structural complexity of concepts and its…

The two-stage hydraulic pump is commonly used in many high school and college courses to demonstrate hydraulic systems. Unfortunately, many textbooks do not provide a good explanation of how the technology works. Another challenge that instructors run into with teaching hydraulic systems is the cost of procuring an expensive real-world machine…

An Internet search for why objects, especially humans, cool more rapidly in water than in air, both at the same temperature, and by how much, yields off-the-cuff answers unsupported by experiment or analysis. To answer these questions in depth requires a smattering of engineering heat transfer, including radiative transfer, and the different…

Trees transport water from roots to crown--a height that can exceed 100 m. The physics of tree hydraulics can be conveyed with simple fluid dynamics based upon the Hagen-Poiseuille equation and Murray's law. Here the conduit structure is modelled as conical pipes and as branching pipes. The force required to lift sap is generated mostly by…

The historical development of the classical postulates of the second law of Thermodynamics can be traced back to the book by Sadi Carnot, "Reflections on the motive power of fire." While unique in its own right and in some sense revolutionary, the book starts with an analogy between heat engines and waterwheels. Waterwheels were common engines of…

In a middle school classroom, the science of fluidics was introduced using the rig. Afterwards the students were able to make informed choices about using air or water as the medium inside their syringes. The three kits available through the NFPA were explored, reverse-engineered, discussed, and analyzed as a lead-in to the in-house culminating…

The Threshold Concept Framework is used to initiate a dialogue on an empirically supported pedagogy that focuses on students' conceptual understanding required for solving application-based problems. The present paper uses a triangulation approach to identify the threshold concept in a third-year undergraduate civil engineering course on open…