BOWest Pty Ltd: Electrical & Project Engineering
http://www.bowest.com.au/library.html
An Australian consulting company maintains this valuable Internet resource for electrical engineers. Many theorems and formulae are included, ranging from fundamental voltage and current laws to transformers and three-phase circuits. The site lists common practices for reducing circuits into simpler representations, which facilitates the process of circuit analysis. Anyone who designs or evaluates analog circuits can benefit from the material, and engineering students can make use of the site by printing each page as a quick reference sheet. Unfortunately, no diagrams accompany the discussions, and this is one area in which the site is clearly lacking. [CL]
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Math-Abundance
http://home.planetinternet.be/~ping1339/
According to its author, this site was created to provide the public with an "'upper secondary' math tutorial." It is immediately apparent that this can include many different subject areas and, indeed, the site addresses topics ranging from trigonometry to linear algebra to calculus. Each concept is introduced with clear, concise explanations and illustrative figures, and several sample problems are given with accompanying solutions. The only minor fault with this site is the use of plain text to represent formulas; although they can still be fairly easily interpreted, an equation tool would be better. Apart from the tutorials and problem sets, the author also provides links to many other educational math Web sites. [CL]
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Learning Technologies Project [Macromedia Flash Reader, exe, zip, pdf, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Powerpoint]
http://learn.arc.nasa.gov/
The NASA Learning Technologies Project (LTP) showcases many initiatives that "incorporate NASA content with revolutionary technologies or innovative use of entrenched technologies to enhance education in the areas of math and science." The Education Resources section features three software titles that can be freely downloaded, mainly consisting of three-dimensional visualization activities for planets and the solar system. Extensive information about current projects under development is given, and links to the homepages of completed projects lead users to other educational material. The LTP does an excellent job of bringing some of the most enjoyable and high-tech learning projects to light, and it exemplifies NASA's longstanding role in teaching the public about its diverse work. [CL]
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Automated Manufacturing Systems; PLCs [pdf, Microsoft PowerPoint, rtf]
http://claymore.engineer.gvsu.edu/~jackh/books/plcs/
An engineering professor at Grand Valley State University has made available his book on programmable logic controllers (PLC's), which are widely used to control all kinds of electrical devices. The 800+ page book is presented free of charge and can be downloaded in one large file or in individual chapters. Readers can learn everything from high-level concepts, like Boolean logic and operational design planning, to physical details such as PLC specifications and connectivity. The author explains different methods of programming PLC's and offers suggestions for selecting the right PLC for a particular application. The book is a work in progress, so a few "to do" notes are scattered throughout the text. [CL]
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Agilent Technologies: Engineering and the Guitar
http://www.educatorscorner.com/index.cgi?CONTENT_ID=371
This series of five introductory modules comes from Agilent Technologies' massive Educator's Corner Web site. It is mainly intended to teach high school students about some of the most fundamental principles of engineering, using a guitar to demonstrate concepts like frequency and tensile strength. At the same time, the material stresses the importance of critical thinking and taking an analytical approach to problems -- characteristics that are the sign of a good engineer. To encourage this mentality, the modules lead the user through a basic derivation of the formula for the frequency of vibration of a guitar string. This is initially done with very little hard math; rather, the derivation is primarily based on intuition, and it can be verified with mathematical analysis. [CL]
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Girls Tech [pdf]
http://girlstech.douglass.rutgers.edu/
Girls Tech is a program of Douglass College at Rutgers University. Its goal is to create a methodology for evaluating "electronic information resources to judge their likely appeal to girls and young women and stimulate their interest in science and technology." The Girls Tech homepage gives an overview of its recommended model for evaluating Web sites, software, and other material. Additionally, two research papers are presented; the first describes the process used to derive the evaluation model, while the second focuses on the role of computer games in attracting young people to computer technology. In particular, the latter paper considers the implications stemming from the fact that computers are generally viewed as boys' toys. [CL]
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Introduction
http://science.kennesaw.edu/~plaval/tools/index.html
This collection of Java applets comes from a mathematics professor at Kennesaw State University. Most of the utilities are used to demonstrate graphical representations of different kinds of equations. For example, the Quadratic Functions section contains applets that let the user change the values of the equation's parameters, and the graph is updated to show how the underlying function changes. There are also applets that help users visualize the processes of differentiation and integration, as well as tools for performing regression analyses on user-defined data. [CL]
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The New Color of Money: Smarter, Safer, More Secure [RealOne Player, Windows Media Player, Macromedia Flash Reader, mp3, pdf]
http://www.moneyfactory.com/newmoney/
On May 13, 2003, the United States "unveiled a new $20 note design with enhanced security features and subtle background colors." This Web site features an Interactive Learning Center, where users can discover the anti-counterfeiting technologies that are incorporated into the bill's design. An archived Webcast of the live unveiling event can be viewed, and a glossary of terms defines items like color-shifting ink and microprinting. In addition to a wide variety of materials on the new bill, there are educational resources about general currency and the role of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. [CL]
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