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6.11: A Brief History of Engineering Vocabulary

  • Page ID
    4557
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    Aqueduct
    A man-made channel for carrying water.
    Assembly line
    A system for assembling identical objects using a sequence of processes.
    CADD
    CADD stands for computer-aided design and drafting. It is the practice of using computer software to represent the geometry of designed objects.
    Cathedral
    A large church building. A Cathedral is usually associated with a bishop.
    Cesspit
    A pit or tank in the ground for the storage of human waste and other sewage.
    Chronometer
    A device for measuring time.
    Cistern
    A tank for holding water or other liquid.
    Corporation
    A group of people authorized by law to act as a single entity, usually for the purpose of making money.
    Cottage Industry
    A manufacturing activity carried on in one’s home.
    Drainage basin
    The region drained by a river or stream. Precipitation falling into the drainage basin of a river will end up in the river if it does not evaporate or seep into the ground.
    Dynamo
    A machine that converts rotational energy such as that generated by a water wheel or a steam engine into electrical energy.
    Electromagnetic waves
    Waves such as light or radio waves that propagate through the interaction of electric and magnetic fields.
    Factory
    A building where things are manufactured.
    Fly-by-wire
    An aircraft control system in which the setting of control surfaces (e.g., the rudder, ailerons, and so on) is controlled by electrical signals.
    Flying buttress
    A structure that transfers the weight loads from roofs and upper stories to the ground in Gothic architecture.
    Integrated circuit
    An electronic circuit of transistors etched onto a small piece of silicon which is sometimes referred to as a microchip.
    Interchangeable parts
    Parts that are manufactured to a particular specification so that any one of a given part can be used in a machine or assembly.
    Internal combustion engine
    An engine that generates power by burning a fuel inside the engine.
    Locomotive
    An engine for pulling trains.
    Longitude
    The distance east or west of the prime meridian, an imaginary north-south line that passes through Greenwich, England. It is measured in degrees.
    Mainframe computer
    A large high-speed computer that typically supports many users at once.
    Mason
    A stone worker.
    Microprocessor
    An integrated circuit that implements a computer processor that can store and manipulate data to perform a wide variety of useful functions.
    Minicomputer
    A computer that supports many users at once and whose computing capacity is lower than a mainframe. Minicomputers have largely been supplanted by powerful personal computers.
    Morse code
    A code in which letters of the alphabet are represented by patterns of long and short bursts of sound.
    Patent
    The exclusive rights granted by a government to an inventor to manufacture, use, or sell an invention for a certain number of years.
    Perspective
    A way of drawing solid objects so that their height and depth are apparent.
    Piston
    a disk or solid cylinder that moves up and down in a larger hollow cylinder.
    Potable
    Potable water is water that is clean enough to drink.
    Printing press
    A machine for printing newspapers and books.
    Qanat
    An irrigation tunnel through which water flows from an aquifer (ground water) to a village or town.
    Reservoir
    A body of water, usually formed behind a dam.
    Rule of thumb
    A general principle that may not be accurate for every situation to which it is applied.
    Semiconductor
    A substance that conducts electricity better than an insulator but not as well as a conductor. Silicon is a semiconductor used to make microchips.
    Siphon
    A pipe used to convey water through an area that is higher or lower than the beginning and end of the siphon.
    Trade organization
    An organization formed to promote the economic interests of a group of people.
    Transcontinental
    Stretching across the continent.
    Transistor
    An electrical component made from silicon or other semiconductors that can be used to build computers, radios, and other useful electronic devices.
    Typesetting
    The process of arranging letters prior to printing.
    Vacuum tube
    An electrical component that was used to create amplifiers and other useful electrical circuits. A vacuum tube contains metal components inside a glass tube that is sealed to exclude air or other gasses from the tube.

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