Two "Take Home" Experiments In Fluid Mechanics

As pointed out by Scott and others, the background of most engineering students contains little experience in observing the world around them. When we introduce basic concepts using simple devices such as pistons and cylinders, springs, boiling water, etc., there are a large number of students who have not “seen” such devices and processes. Creating a connection between the analytical models and the real devices they apply to is thus becoming increasingly difficult.