HISTORY OF MECHANICS AND TEACHING OF GENERAL MECHANICS COURSES

It is investigated to integrate the history of mechanics into the teaching of general mechanics courses such as "Theoretical Mechanics," "Vibration Mechanics," and "Advanced Dynamics. Along with the teaching contents, the contributions of mechanics masters are surveyed to reflect the developments of vector statics, vector dynamics, analytical mechanics, fundamental theory of stability, and theory of vibrations. Introducing the history of mechanics into the course teaching may assist the students to familiarize the development of the mechanics discipline, to improve the understandings of some specific knowledge points, and to cultivate professional interests.