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RESEARCH PRODUCT

The use of integrals in Mechanics of Materials textbooks for engineering students: the case of the first moment of an area

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International audience; Research has reported on the difficulties engineering students face in relating the content of their mathematics courses to what is taught in their professional courses. One way to address these difficulties is by better understanding how mathematical notions are used in professional engineering courses. This paper analyses how the notion of first moment of an area – which is defined as an integral – is used in civil engineering courses. Basing our analysis on elements from the anthropological theory of the didactic, we are currently analysing a classic Mechanics of Materials book. Our findings indicate that although first moments are introduced as an integral, the textbook's tasks do not require students to use techniques typically introduced in a traditional calculus course.