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What should every Engineer know?

Originally posted by: Stiganator
I want ATHTs input on this .

Make a list of what you think every engineer should know. If you have additional time make a list for each engineering specialty i.e. mechanical, electrical, chemical etc.
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Electrical:
V=I*Z
e^jx = cos(x) + j*sin(x)

With those you should be able to derive all the other things 😛
 
Independent problem solving and research skills are the only two things any engineer needs IMO. You have to know how to solve problems, and you have to know how to look things up that you don't know (what I call research). Knowing specific tools or equations is fine, but inevitably you will have to use a tool that you've never used before (or characterize a system which you haven't seen an equation for before) and you have to know how to figure that tool out (or model that system) without knowing it already.
 
Well, you can put some basic equations here and stuff, but most every equation can be looked up, the most important thing I think is knowing where to get information and how to assemble it. Depending on where you work most of the stuff you learned in college isn't gonna help you any and obviously you will be expected to learn more as you go, so just being able to think on your own is good.

For example my first job I was literally given one sentence which said "complete system 250", well that doesn't tell you jack crap.
 
e^jx = cos(x) + j*sin(x)
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I hate how some engineers use j instead of i. I keep encountering that in EE papers and it has to be one of the most WTF-inducing notations out there. 😛
 
Originally posted by: CP5670
e^jx = cos(x) + j*sin(x)
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I hate how some engineers use j instead of i. I keep encountering that in EE papers and it has to be one of the most WTF-inducing notations out there. 😛
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I can think of two reasons:
1) i could be confused as current hence the use of j instead of i
2) i looks a lot closer to the number 1 in handwritten papers

I am sure there are more/better reasons but those are mine 😉
 
Originally posted by: BrownTown
Well, you can put some basic equations here and stuff, but most every equation can be looked up, the most important thing I think is knowing where to get information and how to assemble it. Depending on where you work most of the stuff you learned in college isn't gonna help you any and obviously you will be expected to learn more as you go, so just being able to think on your own is good.

For example my first job I was literally given one sentence which said "complete system 250", well that doesn't tell you jack crap.
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Originally posted by: KillerCharlie
I think numerical methods are extremely important for most engineers, but most aren't familiar enough with them.
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These. I am a synthetic person (no, not in a chemistry sense) - I take ideas, combine them, and use the new uber-idea to move my field forward, albeit at a snail's pace. Numerical methods are something that I was never really taught, but once I learned them on my own, I realized that virtually every meaningful equation really can be solved. Once I overcame that mental hurdle, modeling became almost trivial and relies only on my ability to understand the physics of the system. Thankfully, there are a lot smarter dead guys that were around before me to tell me all about the physics of everything, so I just have to learn the basics and apply it.

Another skill that I'll add to the mix is the ability to work with your hands. It sounds very basic, but whether you're a researcher or a process engineer, understanding how to use a ratchet, screwdriver, or (if all else fails) a hammer can really save your bacon. Non-engineers will also respect you more if you are willing to get dirty with them. I still proudly display my knee-high steel-toed rubber boots that I wore to wade around in raw sewage with the maintenance guys at the wastewater plant I worked at. Those guys would do anything for me once they saw I wasn't one of the administrative stiffs.

There are lots of others, but these were good ones I thought.
 
Know, and be able to spell, the the names of at least 6 dead guys that worked in your field of interest. Chances are, they solved the problem you are working on (and google is your friend 😀)

I guess they could be living guys, however, chances are the dead guys did more profound work. Darn you Tesla!
 
Engineers should know how to write a complete sentence that people can understand, with proper grammar.
 
Originally posted by: herm0016
Engineers should know how to write a complete sentence that people can understand, with proper grammar.
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Amen to that ! ! ! ! !


I can't tell you how much stress this adds to my day trying to figure out WTF someone is talking about, just because of this one issue.
 
Add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions. Its suprising how many people do not know how to do these things, i think todays ease of use calculators are to blame.

my 2 cents
 
Originally posted by: Cogman

I guess they could be living guys, however, chances are the dead guys did more profound work. Darn you Tesla!
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Tesla is my hero. The guy did so much only to be remembered by so few 🙁
I got a book of all his patents, a very brilliant man.
 
Originally posted by: CP5670
e^jx = cos(x) + j*sin(x)
Click to expand...

I hate how some engineers use j instead of i. I keep encountering that in EE papers and it has to be one of the most WTF-inducing notations out there. 😛
Click to expand...

Only because i is small signal current in circuit design. j is the next best thing. 🙂
 
Newton's Method. It is extremely useful for solving for values when you don't know the exact relationship between them (e.g. the outputs come from a computer simulation).

*Technically I'm talking about using the Secant or Broyden's Method but they are derived from Newton's Method.
 
Originally posted by: QuantumPion
Newton's Method. It is extremely useful for solving for values when you don't know the exact relationship between them (e.g. the outputs come from a computer simulation).

*Technically I'm talking about using the Secant or Broyden's Method but they are derived from Newton's Method.
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or just overall numerical and optimization methods
 
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