Engineering is the application of scientific and technical knowledge to solve human problems. Engineers use imagination, judgment and reasoning to apply science, technology, mathematics, and practical experience. The result is the design, production, and operation of useful objects or processes.

Methodology

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The crucial and unique task of the engineer is to identify, understand, and integrate 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 or technical limitations, flexibility for future modifications and additions, and other factors, such as requirements for cost, marketability, producibility, and serviceability. By understanding the constraints, engineers derive specifications for the limits within which a viable object or system may be produced and operated.

Problem solving

Engineers use their knowledge of science, mathematics, and appropriate experience to find suitable solutions to a problem. Creating an appropriate mathematical model of a problem allows them to analyze it (sometimes definitively), and to test potential solutions. Usually multiple reasonable solutions exist, so engineers must evaluate the different design choices on their merits and choose the solution that best meets their requirements. Genrich Altshuller, after gathering statistics on a large number of patents, suggested that compromises are at the heart of "low-level" engineering designs, while at a higher level the best design is one which eliminates the core contradiction causing the problem.

More on [ Engineering ]

Wiley: All New Engineering Titles

Tomorrow's Chemistry Today: Concepts in Nanoscience, Organic Materials and Environmental Chemistry
Bruno Pignataro (Editor) Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:00:00 -0000
  Providing a glimpse into the future, the young scientists contributing here were considered to be the most important for tomorrow's chemistry and materials science. They present the state of the art in their particular fields of research, with topics ranging from new synthetic pathways and nanotechnology to green chemistry.Of major interest to organic chemists, materials scientists and biochemists. Read More...
Liquid Crystals: Viscous and Elastic Properties in Theory and Applications
Sergey V. Pasechnik, Prof Vladimir G. Chigrinov, Dina V. Shmeliova Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:00:00 -0000
  Covering numerous practical applications as yet not covered in any single source of information, this monograph discusses the importance of viscous and elastic properties for applications in both display and non-display technologies. The very well-known authors are major players in this field of research and pay special attention here to the use of liquid crystals in fiber optic devices as applied in telecommunication circuits. Read More...
EM Detection of Concealed Targets
David J. Daniels Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:00:00 -0000
  The latest EM techniques for detecting concealed targets, whether explosives, weapons, or people Extensively illustrated from basic principles to system design, the fundamental concepts of RF, microwave, millimeter wave, and terahertz detection systems and techniques to find concealed targets are explained in this publication. These concealed targets may be explosive devices or weapons, which can be buried in the ground, concealed in building structures Read More...
Time: From Earth Rotation to Atomic Physics
Dennis D. McCarthy, P. Kenneth Seidelmann Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:00:00 -0000
  Filling the need for a book that conveys the current technology as well as the underlying history and physical background, this book tells physicists and engineers how to measure time to the precision required for modern-day use. The authors draw on their longstanding research experience with timekeeping and high-precision measurement to cover the use of satellites in measuring earth movement variation and the influence of the moon, while also dwelling Read More...
Lithium Ion Rechargeable Batteries: Materials, Technology, and New Applications
Kazunori Ozawa (Editor) Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:00:00 -0000
  Lithium ion batteries-due to their long life-enjoy an established commercial market, and also command continuous research in a drive towards improvement and technology leadership. This hands-on guide describes in detail new materials for all four major components of lithium ion batteries: cathode, anode, separator, and electrolyte. The book also highlights lithium ion diffusion and its profound effect on a battery's power density, self-discharge behaviour Read More...
Suspension Analysis and Computational Geometry
John Dixon Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:00:00 -0000
  Revealing suspension geometry design methods in unique detail, John Dixon shows how suspension properties such as bump steer, roll steer, bump camber, compliance steer and roll centres are analysed and controlled by the professional engineer. He emphasizes the physical understanding of suspension parameters in three dimensions and methods of their calculation, using examples, programs and discussion of computational problems. The analytical and design Read More...

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