Program Overview

Introduction to ENGR 143: Introductory Mechanics

The course expands on the theory underpinning the physical behaviour and properties of mechanical systems. Newton's laws of motion will be used to study linear and rotational mechanics, as well as providing a tool to explain oscillatory motion. The properties of common materials will also be discussed.

Course Details

• Dates: 6 Jul 2026 to 8 Nov 2026
• Starts: Trimester 2
• Fees:
  • NZ$1,269.45 for domestic students
  • NZ$5,806.35 for international students
• Campus: Kelburn
• Estimated workload: Approximately 150 hours or 8.3 hours per week for 18 weeks
• Points: 15

Entry Restrictions

• Prerequisites: ENGR 121, ENGR 141
• Corequisites: None
• Restrictions: None

Course Structure

The course will be delivered as a combination of lectures, tutorial, and laboratory exercises; all of them in-person.

Assessment

• Laboratory Work and Reports: 40%
• Four In-term Tests: 60%

Course Learning Objectives

Students who pass this course should be able to:

1. Use Newton's laws of motion to solve problems of linear motion of rigid bodies in multiple dimensions and of rotational motion in circular paths.
2. Apply Newton's laws of motion to solve practical problems in statics.
3. Describe simple and damped harmonic motion in oscillatory systems and calculate the characteristics of the resulting motion.
4. Explain the stress-strain relationships of common materials.
5. Make laboratory measurements of properties of physical systems, including handling of measurement uncertainty.
6. Describe experimental results in written form.

About the Course

The technical component of the course will be delivered with the support of weekly tutorial sessions and a series of laboratories. Laboratories are intended to support technical material, but also to teach handling of experimental data.

Taught By

School of Engineering and Computer Science — Faculty of Science and Engineering

Disclaimer

This course outline may be subject to change.