Brief flashes of comprehension
I lied I can't design a cam; I thought I could but I can't, well not a simple one. Give me one that has to follow harmonic or cycloidal motion and I am fine. I can sketch you down a profile [this just sounds wrong, sketch you down, shouldn't it be, sketch a profile down for you, oh well never mind on with the babbling] in no time leave you begging for more voluptuous curves. Give me something straight forward and simple and I'll sitting there gaping at the problem like some deranged ape who has no idea what you want from him. This is pretty much what happened on the exam. He gave us something simple and I froze! [grump] I do however have to thank a friend who helped me out ten minutes before the exam. He took some time out of his pseudo psychotic schedule to explain Four Bar Linkages to me and allowing a brief momentary reprise from the insaneness that is them. I think I may have managed to get part of that question right, which is a good feeling. Though one day soon I would really like it if someone could explain their mysterious ways to me, in full. The last question was on bouncy springs and I am pretty sure that I nailed that one on the head. Baring any grave errors in calculations, I am hoping to scrape by and pass this exam, failing that I am prepared to beg, whine and even pout at the teacher for leniency. Ha! Like that is going to help. The only consolidation is that we all seem to be in the same boat of misunderstanding.