Kids Today

October 9, 2005

Currently (for my sins in a former life maybe) I am the physics and mechanical engineering lecturer at a local tertiary college. These kids are usually aged between 16 and 19 and are either doing A-levels or Btec nationals. My engineering class is currently studying the vehicle engineering unit. It is quite succesful as there is a large practical component when they get their hands dirty stripping down multi-cylinder engines and learning how they work. Most of these kids are of the age when they are hanging around supermarket car parks and going into hot-hatches doing donughts all night. What they think they dont know about engines isn't worth knowing however their written and practical work says otherwise.

e.g

What does the term cubic capacity in terms of litres or cubic centimeters mean for an internal combustion engine?

Actual answer given (last week)

student 1 "...the amount of petrol you can put in the tank" :eek:

student 2 "..the size of the big box thing under the bonnet (means air filter)" :rolleyes: Actual answer = swept volume of all cylinders.

Next question: What is normally found on the front end of the gearbox lay shaft in a manual type gearbox?

Student #1 "... the radio"

Student # 2 "...steering wheel and horn connection"

Actual answer: Clutch assembly, flywheel and release bearing.

Another question: What mechanism allows fuel through the carb and into the manifold.

stud 1 "...a cable mechanism"

stud 2 ".. your foot or if you are disabled your friend's foot"

Actaul answer Lower pressure within cylinder as piston falls compared with the atmospheric pressure outside the carb system.

These guys are going on to university next year to study engineering. It says one thing for our education system that even with kids who arewell into a subject as these are, there is a general lack of general knowledge and ignorance and arrogance is seen to be cool.

Mind you I dont suppose like me these kids spent their weekend from the age of 10 helping their Dads strip and rebuild V8 motors.

Ho-hum.

I must mention a statement from one of my physicists last year which sent me into near hysterics. He was talking about the famous cosmologist Stephen Hawking. He asked' in front of the rest of the class' are their many other Americans who are professors at Cambridge university.

"Other Americans?" I asked.

"Yes. Like Hawking" he said. When I told him that Hawking was British he seemed stunned and retorted:

"Well he sounds American"

Cheers

Mik