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Unit outline_

AMME9700: Instrumentation

Semester 1, 2021 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This unit aims to develop in students an understanding of the engineering measurements and instrumentation systems. The students will acquire an ability to make accurate and meaningful measurements. It will cover the general areas of electrical circuits and mechanical/electronic instrumentation for strain, force, pressure, moment, torque, displacement, velocity, acceleration, temperature and so on.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
AMME5700
Assumed knowledge
? 

Programming Skills, 1st Year maths skills

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Xiaofeng Wu, xiaofeng.wu@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Final exam (Take-home short release) Type D final exam hurdle task Online Exam through Canvas
Assignment type questions that need completed in 3 hours.
40% Formal exam period 3 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO4 LO6 LO7
Creative assessment / demonstration Lab 1
Matlab based circuit simulations
5% Please select a valid week from the list below 3 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO7 LO5 LO3 LO2
Assignment Assignment 1
Assignment questions
10% Week 05 5 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO6 LO7
Tutorial quiz Online Quiz 1 through Canvas
Quiz questions
10% Week 07 1 hour
Outcomes assessed: LO4 LO7 LO6 LO5
Assignment Assignment 2
Assignment questions
10% Week 09 5 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO6 LO7
Tutorial quiz Online Quiz 2 through Canvas
Quiz questions
10% Week 13 1 hour.
Outcomes assessed: LO4 LO7 LO6 LO5
Creative assessment / demonstration Lab 2
Matlab based sensor simulations
5% Week 13 3 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO7 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO2
Assignment Assignment 3
Assignment questions
10% Week 13 5 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO7 LO1 LO5 LO6
hurdle task = hurdle task ?
Type D final exam = Type D final exam ?

Assessment summary

  • Assignments: Students are to complete three assignments.
  • Lab 1: Students are to design basic digital/analogue circuits using Matlab Simulink and Simscape. 
  • Lab 2: Students are to develop a mechanical instrumentation system using Matlab  Simulink and Simscape.
  • Quizzes: Students are to take two quizzes in-class during the semester.
  • Exam: Students must attain 40% in the final exam to pass the unit, regardless of the sum of your individual marks.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Every one day late submission will receive 10% penalty of the assignment mark.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introduction to basic electronic theory Lecture and tutorial (4 hr) LO1 LO6 LO7
Week 02 1. Kirchoff's current and voltage laws; 2. Basic resistive circuitry Lecture and tutorial (4 hr) LO1 LO4 LO6 LO7
Week 03 1. Mesh analysis; 2. Thevenin's theorem Lecture and tutorial (4 hr) LO1 LO6 LO7
Week 04 1. Amplifier 2. Op-amp circuit Lecture and tutorial (4 hr) LO1 LO6 LO7
Week 05 Potentiometer and displacement measurement Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO6
Week 06 1. Capacitor, inductor and RLC circuitry; 2. Time response of RC and RL circuitry Lecture and tutorial (4 hr) LO4 LO7
Week 07 1. Unit step response of RC, RL circuitry 2. Quiz 1 Lecture and tutorial (7 hr) LO6 LO7
Week 08 1. Laplace transform; 2. Inverse Laplace transform Lecture and tutorial (4 hr) LO6 LO7
Week 09 1. Filter Lecture and tutorial (4 hr) LO6 LO7
Week 10 1. Data acquisition; 2. Basic digital system Lecture and tutorial (4 hr) LO6 LO7
Week 11 1. Strain gauge circuit 2. Force measurement Lecture and tutorial (4 hr) LO2 LO3 LO6 LO7
Week 12 1. Piezoelectric sensors and acceleration, velocity, displacement measurements; 2. Uncertainties Lecture and tutorial (4 hr) LO2 LO3 LO6 LO7
Week 13 1. Temperature measurement 2. Quiz 2 Lecture and tutorial (4 hr) LO6 LO7
Weekly The students need to spend 6 hours each week on assignments and self-study. Independent study (78 hr) LO1 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

  • J.R.Cogdell, Foundations of Electrical Engineering (2nd). Prentice Hall, 1995. 9780130927019.
  • Morris, Alan S.; Langari, Reza, Measurement and Instrumentation - Theory and Application. Elsevier, 2012. 978-0-12-381960-4.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. investigate available literature in order to build up background information on set problems
  • LO2. report and present a design or result to a group of colleagues
  • LO3. work as a team to efficiently manage a project, produce an acceptable result and meet set deadlines
  • LO4. understand the professional standards set for mechanical measurements
  • LO5. complete a simple design project based on presented theory
  • LO6. understand concepts of instrumentation
  • LO7. apply scientific principles to a particular situation in order to obtain a numerical solution to an engineering problem

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

We removed the weighting for the design problems in the tutorial classes.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.