1 - Introduction: The basis of engineering

Abstract

This chapter explores the technical knowledge that a professional mechanical engineer needs during his or her career. Even though the engineering design process relies heavily on calculation, there is often a need to make educated guesses to start the calculations. Sometimes, it is essential to combine technical knowledge with practical experience, a flair for creativity and the confidence to make those educated guesses. Every engineering student is familiar with the fact that it is not good enough to calculate something like the diameter of a steel support rod and just give the answer as a number. The full answer must include the units that have been used in the calculation, such as millimeters or meters, otherwise there can be an enormous confusion when somebody else uses the answer in the next step of a large calculation or builds the support rod. A good engineer needs to think of all the subjects that are studied in an undergraduate course in modular chunks as being part of a single body of technical knowledge that will form the foundation on which a career can be built. By considering a typical engineering problem, it is shown in the chapter that the four main subjects that make up this text are really all parts of a continuous body of knowledge that should be used in an integrated manner.