1) What is engineering? Give your definition. 2) What are the common fields of engineering? 3) Do you suppose an engineer to be a dreamer, an innovator, a researcher, a problem solver, an inventor, a creator, a…? Why? 4) What do engineers usually do? 5) Is engineering boring and repetitive or exciting and challenging? Give your reasons. 6) Do you think you could be a good engineer? Would you like to work as an engineer? Why?
Read the statements and think if you agree or disagree. Working in pairs share your ideas.
• Engineers make things, they make things work and they make things work better.
• Engineers use their creativity to design solutions to the world’s problems.
• Engineers help build the future.
Look at the information concerning what an engineer can do and fill in the gaps with the words below.
develop, technical knowledge, challenging and rewarding, power source.
As an engineer you might _____ the next generation of the iPad, or a medical device that will help doctors treat an illness, or a spacecraft that will carry humans to Mars, or a system that can bring clean water to an underdeveloped region, or a new _____ that is sustainable and provides clean energy, or a device that can detect toxic agents and chemicals, or a new building that is earthquake safe. Using basic foundations in mathematics and science, engineers apply their _____ to conceive, design and implement new processes, products and systems that make our everyday lives possible. Engineers are those at the cutting edge of technology who through innovation, creativity and change provide for our safety, health, security, comfort and recreation. Being an engineer is _____. Being an engineer is coming up with solutions to problems that no one else knows the answer. Being an engineer is being part of a profession that makes life better for humanity. Being an engineer is finding the answers to the challenges that confront society. Being an engineer is about making a difference and if that sounds exciting it might be the right career choice for you.
Vocabulary and Reading
You are going to read the text about engineering. Match the words and phrases from the text with their definitions.
| 1. evidence 2. to maintain 3. to encompass 4. particular 5. to forecast 6. to mature 7. to distinguish 8. suitable 9. constraint 10. flexibility 11. a solution 12. full-scale 13. failure 14. efficient | a. special, or this and not any other b. to develop mentally and emotionally and behave in a responsible way c. a reason for believing that something is or is not true d. acceptable or right for someone or something e. to keep in existence, or not allow to become less f. to include different types of things g. to say what you expect to happen in the future h. to understand the difference between two things i. ability to change easily according to the situation j. something that controls what you do by keeping you within particular limits k. the fact of someone or something not succeeding l. working quickly and effectively in an organized way m. the answer to a problem n. of the same size as the original thing |
Read the text and decide if the following statements are true or false.
1) To invent, innovate, design and build engineers use mathematics and empirical evidence. 2) The discipline of engineering is extremely narrow. 3) Engineering has been around for 200 years. 4) Being an engineer means to be a constructor of military engines. 5) Engineers are now required to have knowledge of social sciences. 6) Engineers choose the best solution to each task they have to deal with. 7) Engineers are not responsible for unintended harm to the public.
Text A. Engineering
Engineering is the application of mathematics, empirical evidence and scientific, economic, social, and practical knowledge in order to invent, innovate, design, build, maintain, research, and improve structures, machines, tools, systems, components, materials, processes and organizations. The discipline of engineering is extremely broad, and encompasses a range of more specialized fields of engineering, each with a more specific emphasis on particular areas of applied science, technology and types of application.
The American Engineers’ Council for Professional Development has defined «engineering» as: the creative application of scientific principles to design or develop structures, machines, apparatus, or manufacturing processes, or works utilizing them singly or in combination; or to construct or operate the same with full cognizance of their design; or to forecast their behavior under specific operating conditions; all as respects an intended function, economics of operation or safety to life and property.
Engineering has existed since ancient times as humans devised fundamental inventions such as the wedge, lever, wheel, and pulley. Each of these inventions is essentially consistent with the modern definition of engineering. The term engineering is derived from the word engineer, which itself dates back to 1390, when an engine’er (literally, one who operates an engine) originally referred to «a constructor of military engines». Later, as the design of civilian structures such as bridges and buildings matured as a technical discipline, the term civil engineering entered the lexicon as a way to distinguish between those specializing in the construction of such non-military projects and those involved in the older discipline of military engineering.
Engineers apply mathematics and sciences such as physics to find suitable solutions to problems or to make improvements to the status quo. More than ever, engineers are now required to have knowledge of relevant sciences for their design projects. As a result, they keep on learning new material throughout their career.
If multiple options exist, engineers weigh different design choices on their merits and choose the solution that best matches the requirements. The crucial and unique task of the engineer is to identify, understand, and interpret the constraints on a design in order to produce a successful result. It is usually not enough to build a technically successful product; it must also meet further requirements.
Constraints may include available resources, physical, imaginative or technical limitations, flexibility for future modifications and additions, and other factors, such as requirements for cost, safety, marketability, productivity, and serviceability. By understanding the constraints, engineers derive specifications for the limits within which a viable object or system may be produced and operated. Creating an appropriate mathematical model of a problem allows them to analyze it (sometimes definitively), and to test potential solutions. Engineers typically attempt to predict how well their designs will perform to their specifications prior to full-scale production. They use, among other things: prototypes, scale models, simulations, destructive tests, nondestructive tests, and stress tests. Testing ensures that products will perform as expected.
Engineers take on the responsibility of producing designs that will perform as well as expected and will not cause unintended harm to the public at large. Engineers typically include a factor of safety in their designs to reduce the risk of unexpected failure. However, the greater the safety factor, the less efficient the design may be.