Discussion. 1. Who were the forerunners of modern mechanical, mining and metallurgical, and civil engineers?

1. Who were the forerunners of modern mechanical, mining and metallurgical, and civil engineers?

2. What is one of the earliest names we know in relation to building?

3. How is engineering often defined?

4. What kind of information were many of the early branches of engineering based on? Give some examples.

5. Name two important factors in the explosion of scientific knowledge in modern times.

6. What made people in the Middle Ages in Europe begin to experiment with new devices and methods of work?

7. What was the historical result of experimentation with different kinds of energy?

8. Who was James Watt? Why did he devise the concept of horse­power?

9. What advantages have scientific research and its applications given to the mechanical engineer?

10. What energy sources have come into common use since steam engines were developed at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution?

11. By the end of the nineteenth century, what engineering spe­cialties were developed?

12. What are some other engineering specialties that have become established since then?

13. What is the major subdivision within the field of mechanical engineering?

14. Why do many different kinds of engineers often work on a single project? Give an example.

15. Who is often the head of a project where different kinds of engineers are working together?

16. What has made engineering one of the learned professions?

17. How has the education of an engineer changed since the nineteenth century?

18. Why does an engineer need constant new learning?

19. How do the two meanings of the word engineer differ from each other? How will the word engineer be used in this book?

20. Discuss two ways in which the systems that engineers produce must be workable.

21. How has the attitude of the general public recently changed toward engineering projects?

22. The automobile is a typical example of the public's divided attitude toward engineering projects. Discuss this.

23. What are engineers working on in connection with this problem?

24. What concept must an engineer include in his or her definition of practical?

Review

A. Complete the following sentences with the appropriate word or phrase:

1. _______________ can be defined as the practical application of the findings of theoretical science.

2. A locomotive engineer who operates a train on a railroad is a _______________rather than a member of a profession.

3. Law, medicine, and engineering are professions which require specialized education at the_______________level.

4. _______________ engineering deals with sources of energy and the machines that make use of them.

5. _______________ engineering is concerned with structures and systems that are intended to be stationary.

6. _______________ engineers work with reactions among the elements, the basic natural substances.

7. _______________ engineering is concerned with complete mechanical systems for manufacturing processes rather than in­dividual machines.

8. _______________ and _______________ engineers work with the effects and processes involving tiny particles of matter called electrons.

9. _______________ and_______________ engineers deal with getting materials from the earth and refining them.

10. _______________ engineers deal with processes that result from the breakup of certain small particles of matter.

11. ________________ engineers are concerned with flight in the earth's atmosphere or beyond it.

12. A _______________ engineer often coordinates the work of engineers from several different fields when they are involved in the same project.

13. _______________ information is acquired by observation or experience rather than through calculation and experimenta­tion.

14. _______________ means stating data in terms of exact mathematical equivalents.

15. A _______________ is one of the simple or basic machines; it is a triangle with a very sharp angle at one end.

16. Another simple or basic machine is the _______________, which is a surface that is at an angle to the horizontal?

17. The work that can be performed by a machine can be measured in the English-speaking countries in terms of _______________.

B. Here are some projects on which an engineer might work. Indicate which branch of engineering (mechanical, civil, chemical etc.) would be involved. Some of the projects may in­volve more than one kind of engineering; indicate all of those you think should be included.

1. A suspension bridge over a large body of water. __________________

2. Finding a new alloy (mixture) of metals that will serve certain special purposes. __________________

3. Designing a control system for the safe operation of a nuclear reactor in an electric power plant. __________________

4. Designing the wings for a new type of airplane. __________________

5. Designing an automatic switching system for telephone direct-dialing. __________________

6. Installing an automated conveyer belt in an automobile assembly plant. __________________

7. Testing the strength of materials to be used in the construction of a sports stadium. __________________

8. Designing and building an experimental model of a mechanical system to generate electricity from the movement of the waves in the ocean. __________________

9. Designing a rocket for space exploration that will use nuclear-powered motors. __________________

10. Designing a process for making plastics from vegetable materials such as soy beans ________.

11. Improving the braking system in an automobile. __________________

12. Finding a process for extracting a higher percentage of uranium from uranium ore. __________________