Over the past few decades, engineering has experienced some incredible advancements in technology. Computers have become more powerful than ever before, making it possible to perform complicated calculations within minutes instead of hours or even days.
Computer software has advanced beyond basic functions to the point where engineers can design and create virtually anything they want. This includes creating new apps, websites, and programs all from your computer.
The internet is an easy way to distribute these creations for people to access. With every person having their own smartphone with them at all times, this medium becomes ubiquitous. Online communities allow people to interact, share information, and brainstorm ideas without needing anyone else physically present.
This article will talk about how computers have improved the field of engineering by streamlining certain processes and eliminating other ones. It will also look into some examples of how engineers used technology to achieve success.
Computer-aided design
Over the past few decades, engineering has become more efficient due to the use of computer technology. Engineers no longer need special training in drawing or sculpture to create models and prototypes. They can do it all with computers!
Computer-aided design (CAD) allows engineers to produce three dimensional (3D) drawings using software programs that have advanced features such as solid modeling, Boolean operations, and parametric scaling. These tools make designing easier by taking out some of the tedious manual work.
Engineers use these CAD programs to draw ideas off of either real life examples or pre-existing designs. Once completed, they take their drawings and put them into the appropriate CAD program for production. This process is then repeated until an exact replica is made.
Because this isn’t done manually, there are time savings which allow professionals to focus more on other things like business planning or creative thinking.
Computer-aided engineering
Over the past few decades, engineers have increasingly relied upon computer technology to aid in their work. These tools can range from simple software programs that help you edit pictures or design documents to more advanced packages that perform calculations necessary for engineering projects.
Computer aided engineering (or CAE) is an excellent way to improve your drafting skills as well as enhance your overall knowledge of engineering. Software such as Autodesk Inventor can even create digital models of complicated objects so you no longer need to draw them by hand!
Mechanical and electrical engineers use this tool frequently. For example, they may input geometric data into the program and it automatically creates complex equations and formulas to calculate the size and strength of various components of a machine.
These calculators are very helpful since they take care of much of the tedious math needed to compute these numbers.
3D printing
Additive manufacturing, also known as three-dimensional (3D) printing, is an incredibly powerful tool for engineers. It allows you to create new materials by adding layers of liquid material onto your print in different shapes and patterns. This technology has applications beyond making jewelry or souvenirs; it can be used to make anything from plastic toys to full scale equipment!
Engineering departments use additive manufacturing all the time. For example, mechanical engineering students often use 3D printers to produce models and prototypes of machinery and devices. By creating these models with printed parts, they do not have to buy expensive manufactured ones that no one has made before.
This article will talk more about some examples of how engineers use this technique in their daily work.
The internet is a wonderful thing
As we know, technology has completely transformed our lives by making it easy to access resources, communicate, and do business with people all over the world.
It also gives us the opportunity to learn new things and connect with others who have similar interests as us.
In fact, you can find almost anything online these days. You can search for books, tutorials, and recipes; look up products or companies; get in-depth information; and even research potential careers.
The internet is a treasure trove of knowledge that everyone should be able to access.
But not every person enjoys studying math or science. It’s nearly impossible to teach someone who doesn’t go beyond basic high school courses how to properly use mathematical equations or apply physics theories.
Science is important
As technology has advanced, so have engineering fields. Fields that focus on how to better apply science to solve problems are called applied sciences. These include mathematics, physics, chemistry, and others.
Engineering is just another applied science. That means engineers learn fundamental concepts of math, physics, and other disciplines and then use it to come up with solutions for real-world applications.
Engineers develop practical skills that can be used in many areas. For example, an engineer might design equipment like robots or cars, or they could work on projects such as building bridges or designing homes.
Science plays a big part in what kind of careers there are in engineering. Mathematics, for instance, is always useful since you will be dealing with numbers and calculations almost every day.
Physics also teaches us about energy and how things interact with each other. And studying biology helps understand life and nature.
Overall, engineering is very diverse, which makes it more interesting.
Moore’s Law
In 1965, Gordon Moore published an article for Electronics Magazine predicting that semiconductor device feature sizes would continue to decrease while circuit density would increase. He coined this theory “Moore’s law,” which predicts that transistor size will shrink by half every two years.
Since his initial prediction in 1985, Moore’s law has continued to hold true with ever-increasing accuracy! Since then, technology has improved more than twice as quickly as it was back then, resulting in even faster computer processors and mobile devices.
In fact, Moore’s law is still actively working today, and experts predict that it will continue to do so at least through 2020. Over the past 50 years, Moore’s law has enabled cost-effective, powerful computing that people rely upon daily. It also makes possible the gadgets we use everyday, like smart phones and laptops.
According to Moore himself, his observations were just a simple extrapolation of what he knew about physics. He noticed that when atoms are smaller, they can work harder before reaching the end of their life span. And since electrons require energy to travel, there must be lots of paths for them to take, which means you can pack in more components into the same space.
This effect grows stronger as component dimensions get smaller because there are proportionally fewer atoms left over after making room for other parts.
Smartphones and laptops have gotten smaller and lighter
Over the past few years, engineers have been able to create ever-smarter devices that do not require as much space or weight to function. For example, while smartphone screens are getting bigger, they are also becoming thinner and heavier due to all of the features that people expect them to have.
These advanced features usually require powerful processors and graphics chips in order to run properly. Since these components are very expensive, software developers have to find clever ways to pack in as many functions and games as possible within their given constraints.
Overall, technology has made engineering more efficient by allowing us to focus on creating great products instead of having to worry about how big the phone is and whether it will still work because there was not enough battery power left for it to fully downclock during gameplay.
