DISCUSSION: More on ‘g’ Trouble

Abstract

This ‘g’ trouble is a widespread symptom of some basic misunderstandings in mechanics. Evidently it troubles the students at the Imperial College, as Mr Francis's article in the February issue indicates, as well as those hoping to gain certificates and diplomas in the technical colleges. In certain branches of study, structures and strengths of materials and other subjects largely based on statics, it can almost be forgotten. However as soon as dynamics arises, say in mechanics of machines, we are right in the ‘g’ muddle. Even here some students, by feats of memory, get by without resolving the confusions in their concepts of force and mass. In fluid mechanics there is no such way out. Viscosity units are arbitrarily expressed in either mass or force units (M L—1 T—1 or F T L—2) and still further these may occur in f.p.s., f.s.s. or c.g.s. and, if heat transfer problems enter, then time may be in hours.

Citation

Pallett, G. (1961), "DISCUSSION: More on ‘g’ Trouble", Education + Training, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 21-21. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb014946