Engineering Graphics - Demystified

Whichever branch we opt for in Engineering, we have to study engineering graphics.

For most of the pupil this is a subject which is tough to score marks.

The teaching method of graphics is as follows (followed by most of the tutors)
Teacher will explain the rules to draw a top view or front view
Students will by heart the rules and learn to draw using T square

The end result -> Students will never get answers to following questions.

1. What is graphics?
Graphics is the representation of objects as images. In this representation the dimensionals details or the size of the object will also be quite evident.

2. Why graphics is needed?
Two people can communicate clearly only if they know the same language. Even then quite often there can be communication gap, which means that the listener might have understood things in a different way than the speaker indented.
If two persons don't know the same language then how can the speaker tell the listener that he is telling something about a car. The speaker can show the image of car to the listener.
Yes images have no barriers. There is no language for images. If you can see images then it conveys everything clearly.
But by just showing image of a table, can a carpenter make a table?
No, Because he don't have information on what size it should.

So the image need to contain size (dimensional) details also in a specific unit. Seeing this image the maker of the table can make the table exactly of the same size which is intended.

"GRAPHICS IS A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE FOR ENGINEERS"

Why front view/ top view side view is needed?
A rectangle can easily be represented in a single image showing the length of each side. This is two dimensional figure, since it has only two dimensions, the length and breadth.
Now how can we draw a rectangular prism in a sheet of paper. Rectangular prism means it has got length, breadth and height.
Assume that we place the prism on a flat surface. Now look at it from the top in such a way that we are not able to see its sides. We can see only a rectangle now. It is possible to draw the rectangle showing its length and width on a paper. This means from the top the original 3D object looked like a 2D object, which can be represented in a paper.
Now look the prism from the front in such a way that we cannot see the top. We can see another rectangle now. This can also be drawn on a paper.
Ok now we have two images for a single object. We have to draw it in certain order according to standard conventions. Otherwise how can a third person know which is the view from the top and which is the view from the front.

More questions related to graphics to follow

Kerala Engineering Admission - A routine event done by Parents for their wards

Engineering - the course to mould up engineers is the aim of most of the students who have completed 12th grade. It has now become an ever similar routine for the students to go to one of the professional colleges after 12th just like going to 10th grade after 9th.

The emergence of lot of private engineering colleges has made life easy for students.

The attraction is that students are in for earning more than 2 to 3 lakhs per annum within the next four years or so. So naturally parents of this side of country who are naturally having a big clout on their wards, want to complete their responsibility by getting them into one of the engineering colleges.

Parents - the community consists of lower middle, middle, upper middle class working folk, teachers, businessmen every one want his child to get into a professional course. They may or may not be familiar about the different branches.

TV programmes/ Newspapers/ Counselling agents websites flood with information on which branch is good and which branch is bad. Parents reach on conclusion based on these information. They discuss these matters with parents of other students and then given options.

During all these stages the students ambition is not taken into account. To make matters worse, if one asks the student which branch to study they are clueless. They also make decisions based on popular demand.

The reason is the lack of proper technical training in schools upto the twelth grade where only theory is important.
The students have to just learn a lot of stuff byheart and a students ability to remember things is tested during exams rather than his other technical or logic skills.

This system is bound to continue and is still continuing.
What can best be done in this situation is something which the parents can do.
Some suggestions are

1. Encourage self learning of their wards from a very young age
2. Find lot of time to talk with your kids. For this to be practical parents should stop watching TV during prime time.
3. Discuss the subjects which his ward is studying in the current academic year during informal discussions. This can be done from a very young age.
4. Encourage the student to take up some activity related to the what he is studying. If this is done, students will land up in taking up small projects related to the subject which is of more interest to him.
5. Don't give complete help or do projects for your wards. Quite often parents tends to do the project work given to students at school to enable him to get more marks.
6. Watch your wards progress very closely but don't interfere with his activities or don't overly guide him.
7. Ensure that parents have passed on the responsibility of finishing the lessons to his wards. Most of the time parents take this responsibility and ends up beating/screwing up his ward to finish of his lessons.
8. Never ever complain or make bad remarks about the school/teachers where the child is studying in front of the child.

We all should understand that child has to improve his knowledge rather than the retention ability.