6.11: A Brief History of Engineering Vocabulary
- Page ID
- 4557
\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)
\( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)
\( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)
( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)
\( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)
\( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)
\( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\)
\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)
\( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\)
\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)
\( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)
\( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)
\( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\)
\( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)
\( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\)
\( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)
\( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\)
\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)
\( \newcommand{\vectorA}[1]{\vec{#1}} % arrow\)
\( \newcommand{\vectorAt}[1]{\vec{\text{#1}}} % arrow\)
\( \newcommand{\vectorB}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)
\( \newcommand{\vectorC}[1]{\textbf{#1}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vectorD}[1]{\overrightarrow{#1}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vectorDt}[1]{\overrightarrow{\text{#1}}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vectE}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash{\mathbf {#1}}}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)
\( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)
\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)- 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.