Ferdinand Freudenstein’s Spatial Kinematics

In this paper we examine in detail an advanced graduate-level course taught by Prof. Freudenstein that bridged his first two cadres of doctoral students. In the autumn term of 1965, Prof. Freudenstein taught ME E8405 Spatial Kinematics at Columbia University. This would be Dr. Armand Dilpare’s last term at Columbia University as he would graduate at the end of the calendar year. Dr. Dilpare was a non-traditional student, having worked in industry for several years before returning to university for doctoral studies. During his practice of engineering, Dr. Dilpare developed an appreciation for detail and advanced abilities in engineering graphics. He employed these skills when taking detailed and meticulous notes in his courses at Columbia University. Upon his retirement from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1994, Dr. Dilpare donated his course notes to the author. In this paper, the contents of Dr. Freudenstein’s advanced graduate course in spatial kinematics are examined through the lens of Dr. Dilpare’s detailed course notes. It is hoped that an elucidation of this course will be beneficial to current educators and practitioners in the field of kinematics.