Virtual Labs, Real Data, for Statics and Strength of Materials,including Biological Materials

A virtual lab is a computer-based exercise designed to emulate hands-on experiences. We are strong proponents of physical, get your hands dirty, laboratories. These must never be eliminated from engineering education! However, time, space and cost constrain us from having labs for many subjects. Thus the concept of virtual lab where a student will view actual experiments, work with real data, learn about the experiment and the theory and interact on-line with faculty and other students.

Our first (and for now only) module is torsion.

List of Labs:

Other course materials:

Laboratory Zero: Error Analysis

Torsion: Engineered and Biological Materials

Notes for instructors

Class discussion board
Post your questions, observations, and thoughts for the other students and instructors using this web site

Give us your feedback
An online survey for assessing the Virtual Labs, Real Data web site

These labs require that you have Quicktime installed.  


A proof-of-concept project supported by the National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE), CCLI Program.
Director: Roger Salters, Ph.D.
Award DUE-01227434, Jan. 2002-May 2003

Written by Alan Zehnder, Peeyush Bhargava and John Antonakakis. Web page production by Academic Technology Center. Project evaluation by Christine Cunningham. Initial testing by Paul Testa, Marshall Coyle, Janice Margle, and G. Ravichandran. Essential advice and consultation from Wolfgang Sachse, James Bartsch, and Marjolein van der Meulen.
Copyright 2002 Alan Zehnder and Peeyush Bhargava.