I have been trying to write a few things about my course work on this blog. But, it’s not really fair to write about something you don’t experience. And, what I experience in my course work is just the lethargy of doing applied mathematical problems that seems to apply differently in different cases.
You would understand how these mathematical concepts are applied, perhaps if you understand their limits and why they are applied.
When my tutor explained to me about how the gas turbine really works and why the terms in the formulae are used in the way they are, it made more sense and much more easier to apply. For example,problems deal with pressure ratios and other ratios, because you cannot really quantify some of the mechanical properties of the machines. Understanding that, made it easier to deal in ratios. Maybe, it removed some block in my mind or it made one less thing to think about.
So, no matter what course you do in mechanical engineering, be sure to take a look at its underlying form. It is very difficult to do that practically but there is no other way around it.
Parallel Spirals 