Progress on my textbook readings

For my second blog post I will talk about how I am progressing through my independent reading of the textbooks I was provided as well as things I am finding interesting along the way.

While I was not introduced to many new topics in the Engineering Mechanics: Statics textbook, as the first two chapters mainly consisted of a basic re-introduction to Newton's laws, Newtonian Gravitation, and vector properties and calculations. The Mechanics of Materials textbook as already provided me with new information about several key aspects regarding the behavior of materials. 

Through my readings of the Mechanics of Materials textbook, so far, I have learned several fundamental concepts about different types of stresses and strains and also the key differences between static and dynamic testing of a material. 

Aside from basic knowledge, I have also started solving basic stress-strain problems in the textbook using the several stress and strain equations. 

As I continue to progress through the textbook, I provide additional information that I find interesting or just learned about.

Thanks for reading,

-Nick Thompson