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Mechanical Engineering

Explore mechanical systems through solid mechanics, motion, heat, fluids, design and manufacturing.

For: Learners at different starting points, from curious beginners to returning students.

After this page you can: Choose a learning path and use a basic engineering model to explain a mechanical system.

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Part of: Engineering

About Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical engineering studies how machines work, how they are conceived and developed, and how they are used. Its core topics include forces and deformation in structures, the motion of mechanical systems, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics. These areas connect to physics, calculus, and the wider field of engineering.

Study the subject by moving between physical examples, sketches, mathematical models, and worked problems. You can begin by observing a machine and sketching what you see, then choose a focused course to develop your understanding of a particular system or topic. The sections below offer routes through materials, dynamics, thermal systems, fluids, and design and manufacturing.

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I’m new to mechanical engineering

Explore how machines work, how they are conceived and developed, and how they are used.

Start with: How and Why Machines Work

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I’m returning to the fundamentals

Revisit how geometry, forces and material properties figure in mechanics analyses.

Start with: Mechanics & Materials I

Learn the foundations

1.Solids and materialsSolid mechanics analyzes geometry, deformation, forces, and material properties in structures.

Solid mechanics analyzes geometry, deformation, forces, and material properties in structures.

Deformation

A change in a structure’s shape or dimensions.

Material property

A characteristic used to quantify relations between forces and motion or deformation.

Try it

A bar stretches under a load. Name two things to examine when modeling its response.

Examine the bar’s geometry and deformation, and its material properties, which quantify relations between forces and deformation.

2.Dynamics and vibrationDynamics and vibration study the motion of mechanical systems and the equations that describe it.

Dynamics and vibration study the motion of mechanical systems and the equations that describe it.

Kinematics

The study of motion, including velocity, acceleration, and rotational motion.

Vibration

A class of dynamics problems analyzed through the equations of motion of mechanical systems.

Try it

A spring-mounted mass moves after being displaced and released. Is this a motion or a static deformation question?

It is a motion question; vibration study analyzes solutions to equations of motion.

3.Thermal systemsHeat-transfer principles and models help analyze and design systems in which heat moves.

Heat-transfer principles and models help analyze and design systems in which heat moves.

Heat transfer

The study of principles and methods used to model and analyze heat movement.

Thermal system

A system analyzed using heat-transfer principles and models.

Try it

A device warms during operation. Name one useful next step for analyzing its temperature behavior.

Formulate a heat-transfer model to study and analyze the system.

4.Fluid mechanicsFluid mechanics uses models and conservation laws to study moving fluids, including pipe flow and forces on objects.

Fluid mechanics uses models and conservation laws to study moving fluids, including pipe flow and forces on objects.

Control volume

An analysis method for open systems that considers a chosen control volume.

Mass conservation

A conservation law used to analyze moving fluids.

Try it

For water flowing through a pipe, name a conservation law that can help structure an analysis.

Mass conservation can help model moving fluids; momentum conservation is another relevant law.

5.Design and manufacturingDesign projects develop engineering solutions, while manufacturing analysis can examine material flow, capacity and event timing.

Design projects develop engineering solutions, while manufacturing analysis can examine material flow, capacity and event timing.

Design project

A team project to formulate and complete an engineering design.

Material flow

The flow of material through a manufacturing system.

Try it

A factory’s output is delayed. Name two kinds of information a manufacturing-systems analysis could examine.

It could examine material flow and storage, and the capacities and timing of events in the system.

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Books

Glossary

Every free Mechanical Engineering course and book on RedLectern

Free Mechanical Engineering online courses

  1. Acoustical OceanographyMIT 2.682 · Browse materials
  2. Advanced Fluid MechanicsMIT 2.25 · Browse materials
  3. Advanced Structural Dynamics and Acoustics (13.811)MIT 2.067 · Browse materials
  4. Advanced ThermodynamicsMIT 2.43 · Browse materials · Video
  5. Biological Engineering II: Instrumentation and MeasurementMIT 20.309 · Browse materials · Video
  6. Biomaterials-Tissue InteractionsMIT 20.441J · Browse materials
  7. Biomedical Devices Design LaboratoryMIT 2.996 · Browse materials
  8. Biomedical Information TechnologyMIT 20.453J · Browse materials
Show all 40 listed coursesShow fewer courses
  1. Biomimetic Principles and DesignMIT 2.A35 · Browse materials
  2. Biomolecular Feedback SystemsMIT 2.18 · Browse materials
  3. Cell-Matrix MechanicsMIT 2.785J · Browse materials
  4. Compressible Fluid DynamicsMIT 2.26 · Browse materials
  5. Computational GeometryMIT 2.158J · Browse materials
  6. Computational Ocean Acoustics (13.853)MIT 2.068 · Browse materials
  7. Control of Manufacturing Processes (SMA 6303)MIT 2.830J · Browse materials · Video
  8. D-Lab II: DesignMIT EC.720J · Browse materials · Video
  9. Decision Making in Large Scale SystemsMIT 2.997 · Browse materials
  10. Design and Fabrication of Microelectromechanical DevicesMIT 6.777J · Browse materials
  11. Design and Manufacturing IIMIT 2.008 · Browse materials
  12. Design of Medical Devices and ImplantsMIT 2.782J · Browse materials
  13. Design Principles for Ocean Vehicles (13.42)MIT 2.22 · Browse materials
  14. Direct Solar/Thermal to Electrical Energy Conversion TechnologiesMIT 2.997 · Browse materials · Video
  15. DynamicsMIT 2.032 · Browse materials
  16. Dynamics and Control IMIT 2.003J · Browse materials · Video
  17. Dynamics and Control IMIT 2.003J · Browse materials
  18. Dynamics and Control IIMIT 2.004 · Browse materials
  19. Dynamics and Vibration (13.013J)MIT 2.003J · Browse materials
  20. Dynamics of Nonlinear SystemsMIT 6.243J · Browse materials
  21. Economics of Marine Transportation IndustriesMIT 2.964 · Browse materials
  22. Elements of Mechanical DesignMIT 2.72 · Browse materials
  23. Engineering DynamicsMIT 2.003SC · Browse materials · Video
  24. Engineering Math: Differential Equations and Linear AlgebraMIT 2.087 · Browse materials · Video
  25. Engineering Risk-Benefit AnalysisMIT ESD.72 · Browse materials
  26. Ethics for Engineers: Artificial IntelligenceMIT 10.01 · Browse materials
  27. Exploring Sea, Space, & Earth: Fundamentals of Engineering DesignMIT 2.00AJ · Browse materials · Video
  28. Fields, Forces and Flows in Biological SystemsMIT 20.330J · Browse materials
  29. Fields, Forces, and Flows in Biological SystemsMIT 20.430J · Browse materials
  30. Finite Element Analysis of Solids and Fluids IIMIT 2.094 · Browse materials
  31. Finite Element Procedures for Solids and StructuresMIT RES.2-002 · Browse materials · Video
  32. Fluid DynamicsMIT 2.06 · Browse materials

40 of 152 shown. Search the Catalog for Mechanical Engineering →

How these courses are chosen

Listed as Mechanical Engineering courses:

  • those whose department’s name includes “Mechanical Engineering”, or
  • those whose title contains “Mechanical Engineering”, or
  • those tagged “Mechanical Engineering” as one of at most 2 topic tags, or as the first of 3.

Free Mechanical Engineering textbooks and books

Show all 60 listed booksShow fewer books

Search all 209 Mechanical Engineering books on the Books page →

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