engineering definitions

Concepts and Vocabulary – myvocabulary 157 engineering words

• acidic – the reaction of a substance with water resulting in an increase in concentration of hydrogen ions in solution
• Aerodynamics – the study of how air flows around the airplane. By studying the way air flows around the plane the engineers can define the shape of the plane. The wings, the tail, and the main body or fuselage of the plane all affect the way the air will move around the plane.
• Aerodynamics – topics included are: Newton’s basic equations of motion; the motion of a free falling object, that neglects the effects of aerodynamics; the terminal velocity of a falling object subject to both weight and air resistance; the three forces (lift, drag, and weight) that act on a glider; and finally, the four forces that act on a powered airplane. Because aerodynamics involves both the motion of the object and the reaction of the air, there are several pages devoted to basic gas properties and how those properties change through the atmosphere.
• Aeronautics is the study of the science of flight. Aeronautics is the method of designing an airplane or other flying machine. There are four basic areas that aeronautical engineers must understand in order to be able to design planes.
• ceramic – inorganic non-metallic materials which are formed by the action of heat. Up until the 1950s or so, the most important of these were the traditional clays, made into pottery, bricks, tiles, along with cements and glass.
• directivity of a sound source describes how effectively the sound is radiated in various different directions.
• inorganic – material that is not carbon-based, not part of a living organism.
• Propulsion – the study of how to design an engine that will provide the thrust that is needed for a plane to take off and fly through the air. The engine provides the power for the airplane. The study of propulsion is what leads the the engineers determine the right kind of engine and the right amount of power that a plane will need
• screw – 1. A spiral path along a cylinder. 2. A fastening device. A screw is like an inclined plane wrapped up. It can take a rotating force and change it into a much larger straight-line force. 3. Used to make the adjustable wrench adjustable. Rotating the screw, connected to the movable side of the wrench makes the moveable side move in and out.
• tesseract – the four-dimensional analog of the cube; the tesseract is to the cube as the cube is to the square. Just as the surface of the cube consists of 6 square faces, the hypersurface of the tesseract consists of 8 cubical cells.
• titanium – a very strong metal. It is used in making the strongest and lightest parts of modern fighter jet planes and medical equipment. It does not corrode, including resistance to sea water and chlorine.