Engineering - Wikipedia Jump to content Main menu Main menu move to sidebar hide Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Special pages Search Search Appearance Donate Create account Log in Personal tools Donate Create account Log in Contents move to sidebar hide (Top) 1 Definition 2 History Toggle History subsection 2.1 Ancient era 2.2 Middle Ages 2.3 Industrial revolution 2.4 Development of new fields 3 Branches of engineering 4 Interdisciplinary engineering 5 Practice 6 Methodology Toggle Methodology subsection 6.1 Problem solving 6.2 Computer use 7 Social context Toggle Social context subsection 7.1 Code of ethics 8 Relationships with other disciplines Toggle Relationships with other disciplines subsection 8.1 Science 8.2 Medicine and biology 8.3 Art 8.4 Business 8.5 Other fields 9 See also Toggle See also subsection 9.1 Wikibooks for engineering 10 References 11 Further reading 12 External links Toggle the table of contents Engineering 172 languages Адыгабзэ Afrikaans Alemannisch አማርኛ Aragonés अंगिका العربية مصرى অসমীয়া Asturianu अवधी Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه Башҡортса Boarisch Žemaitėška Bikol Central Беларуская (тарашкевіца) Беларуская Betawi Български বাংলা བོད་ཡིག বিষ্ণুপ্রিয়া মণিপুরী Brezhoneg Bosanski Català Нохчийн Cebuano کوردی Corsu Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Zazaki Ελληνικά Emiliàn e rumagnòl Esperanto Español Eesti Euskara Estremeñu فارسی Suomi Français Furlan Gaeilge 贛語 Kriyòl gwiyannen Gàidhlig Galego ગુજરાતી Gaelg Hausa 客家語 / Hak-kâ-ngî Hawaiʻi עברית हिन्दी Fiji Hindi Hrvatski Kreyòl ayisyen Magyar Հայերեն Interlingua Jaku Iban Bahasa Indonesia Interlingue Ilokano Ido Íslenska Medžuslovjansky Italiano 日本語 Patois La .lojban. Jawa ქართული Gĩkũyũ Қазақша ភាសាខ្មែរ ಕನ್ನಡ 한국어 کٲشُر Kurdî Kernowek Latina Ladino Lingua Franca Nova Ligure Lombard ລາວ Lietuvių Latviešu मैथिली Malagasy Македонски മലയാളം Монгол मराठी Bahasa Melayu Mirandés မြန်မာဘာသာ مازِرونی Napulitano नेपाली नेपाल भाषा Nederlands Norsk nynorsk Norsk bokmål Novial Occitan Oromoo ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Kapampangan Polski Piemontèis پنجابی پښتو Português Runa Simi Română Русский Русиньскый संस्कृतम् Саха тыла Sardu Sicilianu Scots سنڌي Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски සිංහල Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Gagana Samoa Shqip Српски / srpski Sunda Svenska Kiswahili ꠍꠤꠟꠐꠤ தமிழ் ತುಳು తెలుగు Tetun Тоҷикӣ ไทย ትግርኛ Türkmençe Tagalog Türkçe Xitsonga Татарча / tatarça ئۇيغۇرچە / Uyghurche Українська اردو Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча Tshivenda Vèneto Tiếng Việt Volapük Winaray 吴语 IsiXhosa ייִדיש 文言 閩南語 / Bân-lâm-gí 粵語 中文 IsiZulu Edit links Article Talk English Read View source View history Tools Tools move to sidebar hide Actions Read View source View history General What links here Related changes Upload file Permanent link Page information Cite this page Get shortened URL Switch to legacy parser Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikidata item Appearance move to sidebar hide From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Applied science and research For other uses, see Engineering (disambiguation). This article is part of a series on Engineering Engineering branches Aerospace Agricultural Architectural Biomedical Chemical Civil Computer Data Design Electrical Electronics Energy Environmental Industrial Manufacturing Marine Materials Mechanical Mechatronics Mining Nuclear Petroleum Process Robotics Software Structural Systems Engineering software lists Accelerator physics codes Additive manufacturing Aerospace engineering Automotive engineering Bioinformatics Building information modeling Chemical engineering Chemical process simulators Civil engineering Computer-aided engineering Computer-aided manufacturing Computational chemistry Computational fluid dynamics Computational physics Data science Discrete event simulation Electronic design automation Electromagnetic simulation Finite element analysis Free electronics circuit Gene prediction Genetic engineering Hardware description language simulators Hydrology Mathematical Mechanical engineering Molecular design Molecular mechanics modeling Nanostructure modeling Nuclear engineering Nucleic acid simulation Numerical analysis Numerical libraries Open-source AI Open-source libraries Optimization Plasma physics Power engineering Programming tools Protein structure prediction RNA structure prediction Robotics simulation Scientific simulation Sequence alignment Structural alignment Structural engineering System dynamics Wind energy Engineering glossaries Aerospace Civil Electrical, electronics Mechanical Structural See also Engineering education Engineering ethics Engineering management History of engineering List of engineering awards List of engineering branches List of engineering journals and magazines List of engineering schools List of engineering societies Lists of engineers Outline of engineering Engineering portal Engineering books on Wikibooks v t e The steam engine, the major driver in the Industrial Revolution, underscores the importance of engineering in modern history. This beam engine is on display in the Technical University of Madrid. Engineering is the practice of systematically applying natural science and mathematics to design and improve systems, devices, or processes that solve problems under constraints. It is typically motivated by satisfying human needs, resulting in creations such as bridges, engines, smartphones, pacemakers, the internet, spacecraft, and washing machines. Engineering involves balancing competing demands such as safety, performance, aesthetics, cost, laws and regulations, and time, while operating within fundamental limits such as the laws of physics. The traditional disciplines of engineering are civil, mechanical, electrical, and chemical. The academic discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more specialized subfields, and each can have a more specific emphasis for applications of mathematics and science. Modern engineering practice follows the engineering design process[1] and spans multiple fields, which include designing and improving infrastructure, machinery, vehicles, electronics, materials, and energy systems.[2] As a human endeavor, engineering has existed since ancient times, starting with the six classic simple machines. Examples of large-scale engineering projects from antiquity include impressive structures like the pyramids, elegant temples such as the Parthenon, and water conveyances like hulled watercraft, canals, and the Roman aqueduct. Early machines were powered by humans and animals, then later by wind. Machines of war were invented for siegecraft. In Europe, the scientific and industrial revolutions advanced engineering into a scientific profession and resulted in continuing technological improvements. The steam engine provided much greater power than animals, leading to mechanical propulsion for ships and railways. Further scientific advances resulted in the application of engineering to electrical, chemical, and aerospace requirements, plus the use of new materials for greater efficiencies. The word engineering is derived from the Latin ingenium.[3] Engineers typically follow a code of ethics that favors honesty and integrity, while being dedicated to public safety and welfare. Engineering tasks involve finding optimal solutions to constrained problems, with testing and simulations being used prior to production. When a deployed product fails, forensic engineering is used to determine what went wrong in order to find a fix. Much of this product lifecycle management is now assisted with computer software, from design to testing and manufacturing. At larger scales, this process is normally funded by a company, multiple investors, or the government, so a knowledge of economics and business practices is needed. Definition The American Engineers' Council for Professional Development (the predecessor of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology aka ABET)[4] has defined "engineering" as: The creative application of scientific principles to design or develop structures, machines, apparatus, or manufacturing processes, or works utilizing them singly or in combination; or to construct or operate the same with full cognizance of their design; or to forecast their behavior under specific operating conditions; all as respects an intended function, economics of operation and safety to life and property.[5][6] History Main article: History of engineering Relief map of the Citadel of Lille, designed in 1668 by Vauban, the foremost military engineer of his age Engineering has existed since ancient times, when humans devised inventions such as the wedge, lever, wheel and pulley, etc.[7] The term engineering is derived from the word engineer, which itself dates back to the 14th century when an engine'er (literally, one who builds or operates a siege engine) referred to "a constructor of military engines".[8] In this context, now obsolete, an "engine" referred to a military machine, i.e., a mechanical contraption used in war (for example, a catapult).[9] Notable examples of the obsolete usage which have survived to the present day are military engineering corps, e.g., the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The word "engine" itself is of even older origin, ultimately deriving from the Latin ingenium (c. 1250), meaning "innate quality, especially mental power, hence a clever invention."[10] Later, as the design of civilian structures, such as bridges and buildings, matured as a technical discipline, the term civil engineering[6] entered the lexicon as a way to distinguish between those specializing in the construction of such non-military projects and those involved in the discipline of military engineering. Ancient era The Ancient Romans built aqueducts to bring a steady supply of clean and fresh water to cities and towns in the empire.[11] The pyramids in ancient Egypt, ziggurats of Mesopotamia, the Acropolis and Parthenon in Greece, the Roman aqueducts,[11] Via Appia and Colosseum, Teotihuacán, and the Brihadeeswarar Temple of Thanjavur, among many others, stand as a testament to the ingenuity and skill of ancient civil and military engineers. Other monuments, no longer standing, such as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Pharos of Alexandria, were important engineering achievements of their time and were considered among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.[12] The six classic simple machines were known in the ancient Near East. The wedge and the inclined plane (ramp) were known since prehistoric times.[13] The wheel, along with the wheel and axle mechanism, was invented in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) during the 5th millennium BC.[14] The lever mechanism first appeared around 5,000 years ago in the Near East, where it was used in a simple balance scale,[15] and to move large objects in Egyptian technology.[16] The lever was also used in the shadoof water-lifting device, the first crane machine, which appeared in Mesopotamia c. 3000 BC,[15] and then in Egyptian technology c. 2000 BC.[17] The earliest evidence of pulleys date back to Mesopotamia in the early 2nd millennium BC,[18] and ancient Egypt during the Twelfth Dynasty…