WHAT IS ENGINEERING

 

Ask a number of people chosen at random what the word "engineering" conveys to them and you will be surprised at the differences in their answers. Better still, ask a number of students enrolled in an engineering college why they have chosen to study for the engineering profession. It soon becomes clear that few have given it much thought or inquired in any depth as to what it is all about. A student may feel, because of his ability to fix automobiles, that he has a mechanical bent and that he could well become a successful engineer as a result of this aptitude. However, he should realize that what he learns at the university will not help much around the garage and he is more likely to end up behind a desk than with a wrench in his hand.

The question is difficult to clarify in a few words, and precise definitions are difficult to find. Perhaps an adequate starting point would be to claim that engineering is a profession concerned with the application of the resources of the universe to create devices, systems, and structures to satisfy the needs of mankind. This is a very general and not completely satisfactory definition. After all, craftsmen who make tennis rac­quets or violins, for example, do not look on themselves as engineers. Further, many engineers are engaged in tasks not clearly identifiable withparticular devices, systems, or structures.

An easy way out is to let the existing curricula in engineering colleges around the country define the substance of engineering. Undoubtedly, the people who use the concepts and techniques presented in such curricula to satisfy man's needs are mostly engineers. The usual structure of engineering curricula includes four main components. First come the basic sciences of physics, chemistry, and mathematics. Then a block of humanities courses is required. The engineering courses fall in the general areas of (I) mechanics of solids, (2) properties of materials, (3)) mechanics of fluids, (4) thermodynamics, (5) electrical science, (6) transfer and rate processes, and (7) systems. Finally come the design courses which put it all together. It is this design discipline which exemplifies engineering in action, for it illustrates how engineers solve practical problems by applying their scientific knowledge and skills in the iterative decision-making process. This is how engineers adapt science to human needs.

Vocabulary to the text:

engineering - техника, инженерно-строительная сфера, машиностроение;

at random - наугад, случайно;

to convey - выражать, передавать (идею, мысль);

to enroll - зачислять, принимать (в вуз);

to inquire - исследовать, рассматривать;

ability - способность;

to fix - амер.: ремонтировать;

bent - склонность, наклонность;

aptitude (for) - способность, склонность (к);

to realize - осознавать, понимать;

likely - вероятно, по всей видимости;

wrench - гаечный ключ;

to clarify - прояснять(ся), разъяснять;

precise - точный;

definition - определение;

to concern - здесь: касаться, иметь отношение (к);

application - применение, использование;

universe - вселенная;

to create - творить, создавать;

device - прибор, устройство, механизм; план, схема, проект; изобретение;

completely - совершенно, полностью;

craftsman - специалист, мастер (своего дела);

violine - скрипка;

to be ingaged (in) - заниматься (чем-то);

identifiable - отождествляемый;

particular - определенный;

way out - выход;

existing - существующий;

curricula (мн.ч.) - учебные планы, программы (школы, института,

ниверситета);

to define - определять, давать определение;

substance - здесь: сущность, суть; содержание;

undoubtedly - несомненно;

to include - включать;

to require - требовать(ся);

to fall in - здесь: разделяться;

solid - твердое тело;

property - свойство, качество;

fluid - жидкость;

transfer - перенос, передача;

rate - здесь: скорость, темп;

to put together - соединять, объединять;

to exemplify - служить примером, приводить пример;

in action - в действии;

to solve - (раз)решать;

to apply - применять, использовать;

skill - умение, мастерство; квалификация;

to iterate - повторять;

to adapt - приспосабливать, адаптировать.