Now that you have reached this point in the text
• You should have a good understanding of the significant role that engineers play in our every- day lives in providing water, food, shelter, and other essential needs.
• You should have a good idea of the common traits and activities of good engineers. Engineers are problem solvers. They possess good oral and written communication skills and have a good grasp of fundamental physical laws and mathematics. They apply physical and chemi- cal laws and mathematics to design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacture of millions of products and services. They are good team players. They consider important factors such as sustainability, efficiency, cost, reliability, and safety when designing products. Engineers are dedicated to lifelong learning and service to others.
• You should be familiar with the differences among various engineering disciplines. You now know that civil, electrical, and mechanical engineers represent a large percentage of the total number of engineers.
Source:Courtesy of Katie McCullough
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Chapter 1 Introduction to the Engineering Profession two-page report about the goals and missions of theorganization you have selected.
Bioengineering Ceramic engineering Chemical engineering Civil engineering Computer engineering Electrical engineering Electronic engineering Environmental engineering Industrial engineering Manufacturing engineering Materials engineering Mechanical engineering
1.3. To increase public awareness about the importance of engineering and to promote engineering education and careers among the younger generation, prepare and give a 15-minute Web-based presentation at a mall in your town. You need to do some planning ahead of time and ask permission from the proper authorities.
1.4. If your introduction to engineering class has a term project, present your final work at a mall at the date set by your instructor. If the project has a competitive component, hold the design competition at the mall.
1.5. Prepare a 15-minute oral presentation about engineer- ing and its various disciplines, and the next time you go home present it to the juniors in your high school.
Ask your college engineering department and engi- neering organizations on your campus to provide engineering-related brochures to take along.
1.6. This is a class project. Prepare a Web site for engineer- ing and its various branches. Elect a group leader, then divide up the tasks among yourselves. As you work on the project, take note of both the pleasures and prob- lems that arise from working in a team environment.
Write a brief report about your experiences regarding this project. What are your recommendations for oth- ers who may work on a similar project?
1.7. This is a team project. Prepare a Web-based presenta- tion of the history and future of engineering. Collect pictures, short videos, graphs, and so on. Provide links to major engineering societies as well as to major research and development centers.
1.8. This is a class project. Each of you is to ask his or her parents to think back to when they graduated from high school or college and to create a list of products and services that are available in their everyday lives now that were not available to them then. Ask them if they ever imagined that these products and services would be available today. To get your parents started, here are few examples: cellular phones, ATM cards, personal computers, airbags in cars, price scanners at the supermarket, E-Z Passes for tolls, and so on. Ask your parents to explain how these products have made their lives better (or worse).
1.9. This is a class project. Each of you is to compile a list of products and services that are not available now that you think will be readily available in the next 50 years.
Compile a complete list and present it to the class.
You can post your findings on Problems 8 and 9 to my Web page, so that the rest of the country can look at your results.
1.10. Perform a Web search to obtain information about the number of engineers employed by specific area and their mean salaries in recent years. Present your findings to your instructor.
1.11. If you are planning to study chemical engineering, inves- tigate what is meant by each of the following terms:poly- mers,plastics,thermoplastics, andthermosetting. Give at least ten examples of plastic products that are consumed every day. Write a brief report explaining your findings.
1.12. If you are planning to study electrical engineering, investigate how electricity is generated and distributed.
Write a brief report explaining your findings.
1.13. Electric motors are found in many appliances and
devices around your home. Identify at least ten prod- ucts at home that use electric motors.
1.14. Identify at least 20 different materials that are used in various products at home.
1.15. If you are planning to study civil engineering, investi- gate what is meant bydead load,live load,impact load, wind load, andsnow loadin the design of structures.
Write a brief memo to your instructor discussing your findings.
1.16. This is a group project. As you can see from our dis- cussion of the engineering profession in this chapter, people rely quite heavily on engineers to provide them with safe and reliable goods and services. Moreover,
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Problems
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you realize that there is no room for mistakes or dis- honesty in engineering! Mistakes made by engineers could cost not only money but also more importantly lives. Think about the following: An incompetent and unethical surgeon could cause the death of at most one person at one time, whereas an incompetent and unethical engineer could cause the deaths of hundreds of people at one time. If in order to save money an unethical engineer designs a bridge or a part for an
airplane that does not meet the safety requirements, hundreds of peoples’ lives are at risk!
Visit the Web site of the National Society of Pro- fessional Engineers and research engineering ethics. Dis- cuss why engineering ethics is so important, and explain why engineers are expected to practice engineering using the highest standards of honesty and integrity.
Give examples of engineering codes of ethics. Write a brief report to your instructor explaining your findings.
Objective: To design a vehicle from the materials listed below and adhere to the following rules.
• You must use all the items provided.
• The vehicle is to be dropped from a height of 10 ft.
• The vehicle must land in the marked area (4 ft⫻4 ft).
• Each design is allowed one practice drop.
• The vehicle design with the slowest drop time wins.
• 30 minutes will be allowed for preparation.
Provided Materials:2 paper plates: 1 Dixie cup; 2 bal- loons; 3 rubber bands; 1 straw; 12 self-adhesive labels
I m p ro m p t u D e s i g n I
“I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.”
— Thomas Jefferson (1743 –1826)
Source:Saeed Moavni