Download History of Engineering

A Short
History of
Engineering
Origin
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The Latin verb ‘enginium' means 'to be
clever.' So the kinds of things engineers
have done have been generally ingenious.
And the word 'engine' means 'an ingenious
and useful device.'
Engineering
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The term ‘Engineering’ in general
relates to the application of scientific
and mathematical principles to
develop better and more efficient
methods for design, manufacture and
operation of various systems.
Engineer
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One who practices engineering is
called an engineer, and those
licensed to do so may have more
formal designations such as
Professional Engineer, Chartered
Engineer, or Incorporated Engineer
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Engineering is a well respected
profession. For example, in Canada it
ranks as one of the public's most
trusted professions.
Nerd?
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Sometimes engineering has been
seen as a somewhat dry, uninteresting
field in popular culture, and has also
been thought to be the domain of
nerds. For example, the cartoon
character Dilbert is an engineer.
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Engineering has been a very important
area of study throughout human
history. It has helped man surpass
various obstacles on his road to
success.
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In prehistoric times, men and women
had to be ingenious in order to survive
hunger, enemies, climate and, later,
the tyranny of distance.
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So there have always been 'engineers' around,
many of whom were involved in activities we would
not associate with engineering today but, rather,
with hunting, farming, fishing, fighting, implementand tool-making, transportation and many
other things.
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From around 3000 BC, the pace of
development quickened.
After simple tools came the development of
wedges, wheels and levers, the use of
animals to carry and draw loads and of fire
to work metals, the digging of irrigation
canals, and open-pit mining.
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Geographically, these and many
other developments took place in
and around the Mediterranean, in
the Middle East and in Asia Minor.
Pyramids were erected in the
Nile Valley.
The Greeks
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The Greeks - the inventors - made
significant contributions in the 1000
years that straddled the BC-AD divide.
They produced the screw, the ratchet,
the water wheel and the aeolipile,
better known as Hero's turbine.
The Romans
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The Romans - the improvers and
adapters - did likewise, building
fortifications, roads, aqueducts, water
distribution systems and public
buildings across the territories and
cities they controlled.
The Chinese
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At the other end of the world, the
Chinese have been credited with the
development of the wheelbarrow, the
rotary fan, the sternpost rudder that
guided their bamboo rafts and, later,
their junks. They also began making
paper from vegetable fibres - and
gunpowder.
The Dark Ages
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The so-called 'Dark Ages' (roughly,
500 to 1500 AD) that followed still
produced some things that were
ingenious. For example, there was the
development of the mechanical clock
and the art of printing.
The Renaissance
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These 'Dark Ages' were followed by the
Renaissance of the 16th century, which the
engineer/inventor/artist Leonardo Da Vinci
dominated. But this whole period came under the
influence of the architect/engineer, who built
cathedrals and other large buildings, and the
military engineer who built castles and other
fortifications.
The Industrial Revolution
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During the century between 1750 to
1850, the Industrial Revolution in
Western Europe dominated the
evolution of engineering.
The steam engine, factory machines
and the railroad were developed.
The Industrial Revolution
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…saw the beginnings of formal engineering education notably in France - and the development of a new
profession, that of civil engineering, in which 'civil'
essentially means 'non-military.' The following 50-60
years saw the beginnings of travel by air and the
experiments that led, much later, to nuclear power.
Engineering in America
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When the Europeans came to North
America in the early 17th century, they
adopted much of the indigenous
technology, as well as applying - especially
in the 18th century - techniques borrowed
from military engineering in Europe.
Growth
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Due to a growth in the scope of
engineering, it was divided into various
fields to make the task of study and
implementation easier. Some of these
fields are:
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Aerospace Engineering – This field
of engineering deals with design,
production and operation of various
aircrafts, spacecrafts, missiles and
other airborne technologies. This field
is an expansion of another branch of
engineering termed as the
Aeronautical engineering, which deals
exclusively with aircrafts.
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Chemical Engineering – This branch
deals with conversion of chemicals
into useful forms of energy in an
efficient manner. All crucial factors in
other large scale production processes
are managed by a chemical engineer.
Civil Engineering – Civil engineering is
mainly concerned with planning and
construction of fixed structures like roads,
bridges, buildings, etc. This branch
optimizes the various processes involved
to help increase the lifespan of these
structures.
Computer Engineering – This branch of
engineering deals with the design and
production of devices which help in the
automation of various manual processes. It
always deals with developing software to
provide instructions to different tools and
machines in the required order.
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Electrical Engineering – As the name
suggests, this branch deals with the
efficient generation and distribution of
electricity and maintenance of power
supply.
Electronics Engineering – This branch of
engineering deals with the functioning of
electronic devices and equipment. It studies
the flow of electrons in various systems to
determine the flaws and improve the
efficiency of the systems.
Environmental Engineering –
The main task of this branch of
engineering is to make use of
science and technology to improve
the environmental conditions.
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Mechanical Engineering – Mechanical
engineers are mainly concerned with
application of scientific principles to analyze
the designing, manufacturing and
maintenance processes of various
mechanical systems. This branch of study is
connected to all other branches of
engineering in one way or the other.
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These are just a few of the numerous
types of engineering fields. Please
explore other engineering fields on
you own. A good site to use:
Egfi-k12.org
Getting into college:
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.
What to do in high school:
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Take plenty of science, math and engineering
classes.
Build a strong academic record.
Make your extra curriculars count.
Do your homework when selecting schools.
Get good letters of recommendation.
Take time to write a good personal essay.
Visit the campus.
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Contact an engineering company and
arrange a summer internship while
you still in high school.
Contact an engineer and arrange an
interview.
Review engineering companies
around the country. See what they do
and decide if you have an interest in
doing that as a career.