ABSTRACT
Mathematics is a tool that engineers use to solve problems. Being numerate and able to use mathematics is therefore an essential skill that you must develop. This unit will provide you with suffi cient mathematical knowledge for you to solve real engineering problems as well as a fi rm foundation that will enable you to make good progress in the other units. Once again, we’ve adopted a ‘topicbased’ approach in which the unit has been divided into sections, with each matched to one of the learning outcomes. The topics are introduced in a logical sequence and each section builds on those that have gone before. The sections deal with topics such as numbers, notation, fractions and decimals, units, statistics (average, mean, median and mode), ratio, proportion and percentage, mensuration (length, angle, area and volume), probability, squares and square roots, transposition of formulae, feeds and speeds, triangles, estimation and approximation. Worked examples and plenty of ‘Test your knowledge’ questions have been included to give you plenty of practice using mathematics to solve typical engineering problems. Finally, it’s important that you have access to an electronic calculator throughout your study of this unit. Further details can be found in Appendix 2.
