← Engineering Science syllabus

ScotlandEngineering Science

Area: Mechanisms and structures

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do forces change motion, and how are momentum, impulse, work and energy used to analyse a system?

Dynamics with Newton's laws of motion, momentum and impulse, the conservation of momentum, and work, energy and power applied to moving bodies.
An SQA Advanced Higher Engineering Science answer on dynamics, covering Newton's three laws, momentum and impulse, the conservation of momentum in collisions, and the work-energy and power relationships for moving bodies.
16 min answer →

How do we describe and calculate the motion of a body using the equations of motion and motion graphs?

Linear kinematics with the equations of motion for uniform acceleration, the analysis of displacement, velocity and acceleration, and the interpretation of motion graphs.
An SQA Advanced Higher Engineering Science answer on linear kinematics, covering displacement, velocity and acceleration, the four equations of motion for uniform acceleration, and the interpretation of velocity-time and displacement-time graphs.
15 min answer →

How do gear trains and drive systems change speed, torque and direction, and how efficient are they?

Mechanisms transmitting motion: gear trains and compound gears, velocity ratio and mechanical advantage, the relationship between torque, speed and power, and drive-system efficiency.
An SQA Advanced Higher Engineering Science answer on mechanisms, covering simple and compound gear trains, velocity ratio and mechanical advantage, the relationship between torque, rotational speed and power, and the efficiency of a drive system.
15 min answer →

How do we quantify how a material deforms under load, and how do we choose a safe working stress?

Stress, strain and Young's modulus, the tensile test and material properties, and the use of a factor of safety to set a safe working stress.
An SQA Advanced Higher Engineering Science answer on material behaviour, covering tensile stress and strain, Young's modulus, the stress-strain graph and material properties, and the use of a factor of safety to set a safe working stress.
15 min answer →

How do we find the shear force and bending moment along a loaded beam, and why does beam shape matter?

The analysis of loaded beams: shear force and bending moment, their diagrams along the span, and the role of the second moment of area in resisting bending.
An SQA Advanced Higher Engineering Science answer on loaded beams, covering shear force and bending moment, how to draw shear force and bending moment diagrams along a span, and the role of the second moment of area in resisting bending.
16 min answer →

How do we find the support reactions of a loaded structure and the internal forces in its members?

Static equilibrium of structures with the conditions for equilibrium, finding support reactions by taking moments, and resolving the internal forces in pin-jointed frameworks as ties and struts.
An SQA Advanced Higher Engineering Science answer on structural equilibrium, covering the conditions for static equilibrium, finding support reactions by taking moments, and resolving the internal forces in pin-jointed frameworks into ties and struts.
16 min answer →