2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Statics is often a student’s first encounter with engineering mechanics, yet many topics feel abstract to students and its highly visual nature can make concepts difficult to grasp without tangible reference points. While prior studies have introduced physical manipulatives, few have detailed how they are used in practice or what students are expected to gain. Drawing on experiential and constructivist learning theories, this work emphasizes tactile interaction as a means for students to construct understanding through hands-on, sensory engagement. This paper addresses that gap by presenting a set of low-cost, modular manipulatives that allow students not only to see but also to feel the effects of fundamental statics principles. Through physical interactions, such as pulling on ropes to apply loads, sensing reactions at supports, and experiencing the resistance and rotation associated with moments, students receive kinesthetic feedback that cannot be replicated through lecture, diagrams, or digital tools alone.
The manipulatives, constructed from PVC members with 3D-printed connectors, were developed for select modules in statics (e.g., support reactions, two-force members, moments, trusses), but their modular design allows reconfiguration to support additional topics across the course. Their pedagogical strength lies in the tactile experiences they create – students directly feel how equilibrium is maintained, how forces are applied to a two-force member, or how a moment about a point causes an object to want to rotate.
The contribution of this paper is practical rather than experimental. It provides detailed classroom procedures for each manipulative, including step-by-step implementation, guiding prompts, and strategies for connecting physical experiences to analytical problem solving. By emphasizing the tangible learning benefits for students, this work positions manipulatives as adaptable, scalable tools for integrating tactile and multimodal learning into statics instruction.