Learn about the engineering profession, including the branches of engineering, what engineers do, and the contributions of engineers to society.
When someone mentions that they are an engineer, visions are conjured up of men in white shirts with black rimmed glasses and pocket protectors. While this may have been a description of a stereotypical engineer in the 1960s, the field of engineering has grown into a diverse and vibrant profession. Engineers touch almost all areas of life, from design and electronics, to agriculture and biotechnology. To put it simply, an engineer is a person who uses the tools of science and technology to to create new things and to understand existing things for the benefit of mankind.
Although there are many fields within the general profession of engineering, all of the fields have some things in common. Engineers have a solid grasp on technology, the fundamental theories of mathematics, and the basic scientific rules for their specific fields. People who study engineering were often, but not always, proficient in math and science in high school. Engineers are often curious people, anxious to learn as much as they can about a subject of interest.
Types of Engineers
Within the general umbrella of the engineering profession are many branches and specialties. Some of the more common types of engineers are:
Within each of these divisions are nearly infinite niches of engineering that cater to specific technology areas. For example, within mechanical engineering are such fields as mechanical design, analytical evaluation, structural engineering, fluids engineering, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), and automation.
Engineering Employment
Engineers are employed by a wide range of companies in the United States, from small start up businesses focused on a new invention idea to large-scale companies that work on immense contracts. Engineers from different fields constantly work together to create successful products. When considering the design and manufacture of an aircraft, for example, the workforce behind the development will include aeronautical engineers optimizing airflow paths, analysis engineers evaluating the strength of landing gear developed by design engineers, electronics engineers developing wiring methods and pilot controls, ergonomic engineers designing comfortable seating and computer engineers programming the aircraft operation systems, including everything from the autopilot system to the cabin crew call system.
Engineering Schools
There are many colleges and universities across the country that provide degrees in engineering, from bachelor's degrees to PhDs. Some colleges, such as Worcester Polytechnic Institute or Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute primarily cater to developing engineers and scientists. Many schools, such as state universities, have a college of engineering within them. Admission to engineering schools is highly competitive, and applicants that are chosen are often in the top of their high school class with extracurricular and leadership activities that show they are capable of the rigorous workload that awaits them when they enroll.
Professional Societies
For every field of engineering, there is an engineering society available for like-minded people to get together and share information. Engineering societies, such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) or the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) have national technical meetings where people can present papers and network with other engineers. Many societies also have local branches who conduct meetings of interest to the local engineers. In addition to societies for specific fields of engineering, societies also exist for demographics within the engineering profession, such as the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).
Engineers literally create what the world uses, from cell phones to the latest innovation in biotechnology. The image of the stereotypical engineer may have changed, but the advances in technology that they consistently create continues.
Have you checked out the Simple Machines Animation yet? Did you have your speakers turned on? Cool isn't it?
Here you will discover all sorts of awesome things about simple machines and how they work. There are some great diagrams too!
A machine is something that makes it easier for us to do work, such as moving objects. This happens when a force(a push or a pull effort) makes something (a mass or load) move for a distance. Simple machines are ones which have only one part to do the work. One example of a simple machine is a lever(see Diagram 1). The force applied to the lever (the crowbar) makes the rock move and the work easier to do.
More complicated machines (sometimes called Compound Machines) are made up of a number of simple machines that work together to help do the work. A wheelbarrow is one example of a compound machine. It has two levers (the handles) to help lift the load, and a wheel and axle to make it easier to move the load forward (see Diagram 2).
Load, effort and mechanical advantage
These are terms that are used to describe how simple machines work.
The load is the object that is moved. In Diagram 1, the load is the weight of the rock.
The effort is the force that is used to do the work. In Diagram 1, the effort is the force that the person applies to the crowbar to move the rock.
You can use a simple machine to move a large load with a smaller effort than you would need if you did not have a machine to help you. This is called gaining a mechanical advantage. If the rock in Diagram 1 weighed 100 kilograms, the lever might allow you to move it with a force of only 25 kilograms. The load would then be 4 times as big as the effort you applied, giving you a mechanical advantage of 4 (load divided by effort).
Types of simple machines
There are a number of different types of simple machines. These include:
Inclined planes
Levers
Pulleys
Wheels and axles
Wedges
Screws
Gears
Compound machines are made up of a combination of these simple machines. Can you identify all the simple machines in the Simple Machines Animation?
Inclined planes
An inclined plane is a flat surface that is at an angle to the load. This type of 'machine' has no parts that move.
An example of an inclined plane is a ramp for wheelchairs (see Diagram 3). The inclined plane of the ramp makes it easier for the person in the wheelchair to move up into a building. The load (the weight of the person in the wheelchair) can be moved up the ramp into the building against the force of gravity using a smaller effort (or force) than would be required to lift the person and the wheelchair the same height.
For example, the ramp needed to raise the wheelchair 1 metre higher might be 10 metres long, so the wheelchair needs to move 10 metres up the ramp in order to raise its height by 1 metre. In trading force for distance, the force pushing it up the slope needs to happen for 10 times the distance that the person in the wheelchair is raised. This gives a mechanical advantage of 10 (the distance travelled divided by the height gained).
The steeper the slope of the inclined plane, the more effort it takes to move the person in the wheelchair up the slope. The steeper slope in Diagram 3 is only 5 metres long. This gives the person in the wheelchair a mechanical advantage of only 5 and it therefore requires twice the effort to climb the same height.
Some other examples of inclined planes include roads leading up slopes, car ramps in parking stations, and even staircases for people to walk up and down. You will agree that it is easier to walk up a ramp or a staircase than to climb to the same height up a ladder.
Likewise, inclined planes can be used to work with gravity as objects roll down them. Did you notice how the inclined planes work with gravity to make the compound machine operate in the Simple Machines Animation? How many examples of inclined planes did you find?
Levers
A lever is a rigid bar that rotates around a fixed point. This balancing point is called the fulcrum. A lever uses a force (or effort) to make the load move.
There are different types of levers, depending on where the load, the effort, and the fulcrum are positioned. For this reason, levers are classified into 3 separate groups: Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3.
Class 1 lever: This is where the fulcrum is between the load and the effort.
One example would be using a screwdriver to open a can of paint (see Diagram 4). In this case, the screwdriver is the lever. The load is the resistance of the lid of the paint can, the effort is the force that the person applies to the lever, and the fulcrum is the outside rim of the paint can that helps you to lever up the lid.
Imagine how much harder it would be if you had to lift the lid off a paint can with your fingers, without the help of a lever! The screwdriver provides a mechanical advantage (a smaller force is being used to overcome a larger load).
The direction of the force is also being changed by the lever. Pushing down on the lever (the screwdriver) raises the load (the paint can lid).
Other examples of Class 1 levers include using a bottle opener to open a bottle of drink, using a claw hammer to pull out a nail, and playing on a see-saw.
Class 2 lever: This is where the fulcrum is at one end of the lever, the effort is at the other end, and the load is in between.
One example would be a person lifting a load in a wheelbarrow (see Diagram 5). In this case, the wheelbarrow and its handles are the lever, the load is the weight in the wheelbarrow, and the force applied by the person lifting the handles is the effort. The fulcrum (the balance point of the lever) is the axle of the wheelbarrow.
The mechanical advantage (remember, this is what makes the load easier to lift) is created by having the load closer to the wheelbarrow axle (the fulcrum) than to the person lifting the handles (the effort). Other examples of Class 2 levers are staplers that staple sheets of paper together, and nutcrackers that have the hinge at the end of the machine.
Class 3 lever: This is where the fulcrum is at one end of the lever, the load is at the other end, and the effort is in between. These levers involve using a large effort to move a small load a long distance.
An example is a person playing golf (see Diagram 6). In this case the golf club plus the person's arms is the lever, the golfer's shoulder is the fulcrum, the force being applied to the golf club by the golfer's hands is the effort, and the load is the weight of the golf ball.
The aim is to use a large force for a small distance (the effort applied to the golf club by the golfer's hands) to move a small load (the golf ball) for a much larger distance.
This type of lever often trades distance for force. You can use a large force for a small distance to move a small load for a larger distance.
Other examples are using a cricket bat, a tennis racquet or a hockey stick to hit a ball, and a fishing rod to cast a fishing line.
There are many levers in the Simple Machines Animation. How many can you spot?
Levers in balance
For a lever to be in balance (not moving) the forces trying to turn it in one direction (the turning effect) will be exactly balanced by the forces trying to turn it in the opposite direction.
A see-saw is actually a lever with a fulcrum in the middle (see Diagram 7). Think about a see-saw that is balanced, with two people sitting at different distances from the fulcrum. If one person is twice as heavy as the other, the lighter person must sit twice as far away from the fulcrum as the heavier person for the see-saw to be balanced.
This is because the turning effect depends on two things - the size of the force (in this case the weight of the people), and the distance from the fulcrum. Longer levers give more leverage than shorter ones. Therefore, the smaller person has to create greater leverage to balance the heavier weight of the other person by sitting further away from the fulcrum. Once balanced, it requires very little force for each person to push the see-saw up and down with their legs.
Wheels and axles
A wheel and axle is a simple machine that is made up of a smaller cylinder (the axle) joined to a larger cylinder (the wheel). To work efficiently together, the axle must be connected to the wheel in such a way that it allows the wheel to rotate evenly about its centre.
Often a wheel and axle is used to reduce friction and to make it much easier to move a load. An example of this is a trolley, or any other wheeled vehicle (see Diagram 8). You will agree that it would be much easier to move a heavy load with a trolley that has wheels than to push the same trolley across the ground with no wheels.
There are two examples of wheels and axles in the Simple Machines Animation. Did you notice how they are both used with inclined planes to create motion?
Pulleys
A pulley consists of a rope (or a belt or a chain) that passes around a wheel. Sometimes the pulley is fixed, and sometimes it moves with the object that is being shifted.
Fixed pulleys
Fixed pulleys are used to change the direction of a force. An example would be a pulley at the top of a flagpole (see Diagram 9). Because of the pulley at the top, the person raising the flag can stand on the ground and hoist the flag by pulling down on the rope. Imagine how much harder it would be without a pulley - the person would need to climb up the flagpole with the flag!
Fixed pulleys do not give a mechanical advantage. The distance that the load moves is exactly the same as the distance moved by the effort.
Other examples of fixed pulleys include:
the pulley at the top of a yacht mast. The deckhand can raise the sail up the mast by pulling down on the rope. The pulley has changed the direction of the force to make it much more convenient.
the pulley at the end of the boom of a crane. The crane works by pulling upwards to lift the load. The pulley changes the direction of the force so that the motor that does the lifting can be on the ground rather than at the top of the crane.
Did you spot the two pulley examples in the Simple Machines Animation? How are they different?
Moving pulleys
Diagram 10 shows one moving pulley attached to the engine (the load), and one fixed pulley attached to the support above. This type of pulley system is called a 'block and tackle', where 'block' refers to the pulleys and 'tackle' is the chain that the person is pulling to lift the engine.
The fixed pulley changes the direction of the force to make it more convenient. This means that the person can lift the load by pulling down on the rope. The moving pulley gives a mechanical advantage and makes it easier to lift the load.
In a pulley system, each moving pulley halves the effort, but means that the effort has to be applied for twice the distance. This is why a person can lift an engine out of a car using only a 'block and tackle'. The mechanical advantage is achieved by pulling the chain over a much longer distance than the distance that the engine is actually lifted.
Wedges
A wedge is made up of two inclined planes joined together at an angle. A good example of a wedge is an axe, where the head of the axe is made up of two inclined planes which do the work.
Think about an axe being used to chop and split a piece of firewood (see Diagram 11). The axe is actually being used to change the direction of the force. The force of the axe blow is downwards, but the wedge changes this downward force into two sideways forces, causing the wood to split apart.
Other examples of wedges include:
a knife blade
a chisel used in woodworking
the point at the end of a nail
a doorstop that is wedged under a door to prevent it from moving.
Did you spot the wedge used in the Simple Machines Animation? How was it used?
Screws
A screw is really an inclined plane that is coiled around a shaft (see Diagram 12).
The inclined plane of the screw makes the work easier by allowing the effort to be applied over a longer distance. This is another example of trading force for distance. The closer together the threads of the screw are, the greater the mechanical advantage.
Some examples of screws include:
wood screws
the screw in a car jack
the screw on the lid of a jar
the blades of a fan
the blades of an aeroplane propeller.
Did you notice the screw in the Simple Machines Animation? How was it used?
Gears
Gears are toothed wheels that fit together so that when one gear turns it also turns the other gear. Sometimes the gears fit directly together, and sometimes they work together through a chain or a belt (see Diagram 13).
Gears can produce either a gain in distance or a gain in force, depending on how they are used. This effect depends on the ratio of the number of teeth in the two gears working together.
Observe the animated gears. The big one has 40 teeth, and the small one has 20 teeth. Suppose that the big gear is being used to drive the small gear. Each time the big gear rotates once, it uses all its 40 teeth. The small gear has only 20 teeth, so it is rotated twice. This is producing a gain in distance.
On the other hand, suppose that the small gear is being used to drive the big gear. In this case, the small gear will need to rotate twice in order to turn the big gear around once. This is producing a gain in force.
Click on the gears to see them work.
Some examples of the use of gears include:
mechanical clocks
car gearbox and drive systems
electric drills
VCR, CD and DVD players.
Did you notice how gears were used in the Simple Machines Animation? How many examples could you find?
Have you ever wondered how buildings, bridges, or dams are made? Look around you - you can see houses, tall buildings, bridges and footpaths everywhere. Who made the buildings, bridges and dams? Who do you think built your house? Why are some houses in other parts of the world built differently? Civil engineers can answer all these questions.
Civil engineering teams solve problems to do with building and construction. Roads and bridges are created by engineers. Civil engineering teams may have helped to build and construct your house, as well as the areas surrounding your house.
There are quite few different types of engineering teams.
Structural engineering teams think of ways to make buildings and other structures stronger, enabling them to last a long time, and even helping them to survive cyclones and floods. They also think of ideas to make houses safer and more environmentally friendly.
Geotechnical engineering teams test the ground on which houses, offices or other structures are going to be built. They study the rocks and soil to see whether they will be able to support buildings.
Transport engineering teams plan, design and build things such as motorways, railways and any type of road or path. They also decide where traffic lights will be installed. Can you imagine travelling in a large city with no traffic lights?!
Hydraulic engineering teams work on anything to do with water. They plan how to get water to your house and how to direct grey (used) water, such as bathwater, away from your house.
Local Government engineering teams work on improving the environment and the way we live in our local area.
Building services engineering teams make sure that your house is comfortable and safe. They plan things such as air conditioning, power, lighting and much more.
Now let us look at some of the engineers who probably helped to build the home that you live in.
House - construction
Building houses
Structural engineering teams design buildings so that they are safe and will last a long time. They design the walls, make sure that they can hold up the heavy roof, and ensure that the floors can support the weight of people and furniture.
Do you have stairs in your house? Stairs also need to be carefully planned, and structural engineering teams make sure that they are safe and easy to use.
Some houses are now being designed with sprinklers on the roof and other features to protect them from bushfires.
Civil engineering teams make sure that houses can be reached by road and are connected to places such as schools, parks and shopping centres.
Engineering teams are involved in the design and function of every room in the house:
House - attic living room
The living room
Electrical and manufacturing engineering teams help in the design and production of the TVs and DVDs that entertain us in our living rooms.
Electrical engineering teams also design the electrical parts that make things such as CD players work. Manufacturing engineering teams plan and manage the making of these items in factories.
House - kitchen
The kitchen
Manufacturing engineering teams design the equipment used to produce items such as ovens and cook tops that we use in our kitchens.
Electrical engineering teams design the electrical parts that make kitchen appliances, such as toasters and sandwich makers, work.
Mechanical engineering teams design the motors that use electricity to run our fridges and keep them cool. They also design the moving parts in the blenders, mixers etc. that we use when we cook.
Chemical engineering teams work out how to manufacture some of the foods we eat. They also investigate ways of keeping food fresher and for longer.
House - laundry
The laundry
Electrical engineering teams design the electrical parts that run the motors in items such as washing machines and clothes dryers.
Mechanical engineering teams design the motors that keep washing machines running. They also investigate ways of reducing the amount of electricity and water used by appliances such as washing machines and dryers.
Electronic and software engineering teams are involved in creating new 'smart appliances' which seem to do their own thinking! One example would be a washing machine that knows it needs different cycles and water levels for towels and clothes.
Chemical engineering teams and chemists create the chemicals used in detergents and other kitchen products.
Office building in Sydney
Amazing structures
There are millions and millions of buildings in the world, but some stand out from the rest. They might have been built thousands of years ago, be much larger than the buildings around them, or have been built with nothing more than muscle power and basic tools.
Today's skyscrapers are incredible because of their great height. They are very tricky to design and build.
The amazing 'Water Cube' was just one of the structures designed and built by engineering teams for the Beijing Olympics.
Beijing's Olympic Water Cube
The 'Water Cube'
The Beijing National Aquatics Centre (better known as the Water Cube) was the main swimming building for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Australian architects and engineers were involved in its design. The Water Cube is a giant cube which looks as though it is made of thousands of bubbles, each measuring up to nine metres across.
The Water Cube looks completely different at night, when the lights are on inside, than it does in the daytime. It truly is an incredible building!
See if you can find out more about how the Water Cube was built.
Cotter Dam
Dams/reservoirs
Dams (also called reservoirs) store water for such uses as drinking, farming and agriculture, mining, and manufacturing. Their construction requires the special knowledge and skills of Civil, Mechanical and Electrical engineering teams. (For more information on these and other types of engineering teams go to the Engineering - what is it? section.)
Dams/reservoirs are created by building a dam wall which blocks water flowing naturally along a river, causing it to collect in a valley or gorge for storage. The water in the river comes from a water catchment. This is an area of land where the natural landscape/landform is used to 'catch' the rainfall which then flows into creeks and rivers. Water catchment areas can stretch across thousands of square kilometres, or can be as small as a few square kilometres.
Water catchment areas need the following things:
a suitable location free from pollution, with plenty of water (often situated within a national park)
ridges, hills or mountains to 'catch' rainfall, allowing it to flow into creeks and rivers
a valley or gorge suitable for trapping and storing water
a wall to hold back the water (the dam wall), allowing it to collect into a dam/reservoir for storage
pumping stations and pipelines to deliver the water to where it is needed for use.
Catchments are very important as they also provide many animals with an ideal habitat. In dry places, a catchment can stand out like an oasis, providing a cool and colourful place for plant and animal life. Catchments will often create wetlands that are perfect for fish, birds and other animals. Due to the importance of catchments, many are found within national parks or other protected areas.
Advisory Content: Some of the content on the page may be offensive to some teens. Highly not recommended for minors or early teens.
by mblumber
If you ask most people who have gone though it about their freshman year of college, they will tell you that the biggest challenges they faced weren't in the classroom. Moving away from home and living on your own is a very important part of growing up. Even those who commute from home to college will tell you that they spent most of their freshman year trying to come to terms with being out of high school and being in the adult world.
With that said, passing freshman engineering requires that the student adjust to college in weeks, not months. At any decent engineering school, the work becomes overwhelming by the third week of class. If you're not prepared to keep up, you might as well change majors now and save yourself the pain. If you're willing to constantly be doing homework or studying while everyone else is drinking, smoking, and having sex with random girls, then keep reading.
The first key to surviving your freshman year of engineering is to never get behind. Most classes are fast paced and each successive concept builds on the previous. Once someone gets behind, then it becomes more and more difficult to catch up as each successive topic will make less and less sense. If you feel lost, get help immediately. Most upperclassmen will agree to help you. If not, go to your TA or professor. They will point you in the right direction.
Secondly, don't study hard, study smart. Translation: 3 hours of studying while on Instant Messenger, surfing the web, reading e-mail, and talking on the phone is significantly less valuable than 15 minutes of true studying. When I say true studying, I mean with the TV, phone, e-mail, etc. turned off. It is also valuable to try to make up problems for yourself and then solve them without getting help from anyone else. Group studying can also be extremely helpful, if you yourself have studied beforehand and the group stays on-topic.
Here's a simple one: Go to class! . I really wish that I didn't have to say that because it's so obvious. If you don't attend lecture, then you have no idea what the professor is emphasizing and you'll probably end up studying something that he didn't cover, or worse, leave out something that he spent 45 minutes talking about, saying things like "this is the most important topic of today" and the like. It's crazy how transparent some teachers are about what they will be testing on.
Finally, don't ever underestimate the value of a good night's sleep. Staying up all night studying for tests can seem appealing, but in reality you're better off with a clear rested head. I cannot begin to describe the number of mistakes one makes on tests when he hasn't slept in a while.
So there's my advice. Good luck. If I could get though freshman year, you can too.
Other examples of Class 2 levers are staplers that staple sheets of paper together, and nutcrackers that have the hinge at the end of the machine.
