The Mechanical Design Process 4th Edition by David G. Ullman

The Mechanical Design Process 4th Edition by David G. UllmanISBN-13? 9780072975741ISBN-10? 0072975741I have been a designer allmylife. I have designed bicycles, medical equipment,furniture, and sculpture, both static and dynamic. Designing objects has comeeasy for me. I have been fortunate in having whatever talents are necessary tobe a successful designer. However, after a number of years of teaching mechanicaldesign courses, I came to the realization that I didn?t know how to teach whatI knew so well. I could show students examples of good-quality design and poorqualitydesign. I could give them case histories of designers in action. I couldsuggest design ideas. But I could not tell them what to do to solve a design problem.Additionally, I realized from talking with other mechanical design teachers thatI was not alone.This situation reminded me of an experience I had once had on ice skates.As a novice skater I could stand up and go forward, lamely. A friend (a teacherby trade) could easily skate forward and backward as well. He had been skatingsince he was a young boy, and it was second nature to him. One day while wewere skating together, I asked him to teach me how to skate backward. He saidit was easy, told me to watch, and skated off backward. But when I tried to dowhat he did, I immediately fell down. As he helped me up, I asked him to tell meexactly what to do, not just show me. After a moment?s thought, he concludedthat he couldn?t actually describe the feat to me. I still can?t skate backward,and I suppose he still can?t explain the skills involved in skating backward. Thefrustration that I felt falling down as my friend skated with ease must have beenthe same emotion felt by my design students when I failed to tell them exactlywhat to do to solve a design problem.