Etymology

Engineering derives from the Latin word “ingenium,” meaning “natural ability” or “talent.” The term “ingenium” is associated with inventiveness and intelligence, which are fundamental qualities for the work of engineers. The Latin root “ingenium” evolved into “ingeniator” in medieval Latin, referring to someone who creates or develops devices and machines.

Definition and Types

Essentially, engineering is a technical field that seeks to observe, understand, and solve problems. Engineers are trained in natural sciences, mathematics, physics, and the engineering method.

The discipline of engineering encompasses a wide range of specializations, each emphasizing applied mathematics, applied science, and applied physics, depending on the area of specialization and scientific methods.

Historically, there has been military engineering (still maintained by some nations) and naval engineering. From military engineering, civil engineering developed. Later, civil engineering (in a broader sense) subdivided into various specialties:

• Civil Engineering (in a narrow sense) – focused on the design and construction of public and private works, such as infrastructure, roads, bridges, and buildings.
• Metallurgical Engineering – dedicated to the study and production of metal alloys, as well as the processing and transformation of metals.
• Surveying Engineering (including Cartographer, Topographic Engineer, Geographical Engineer, and Geodesist) – focused on the creation of maps and charts, geographic information systems, remote sensing, photogrammetry, geodesy, topography, cartography, and urban planning, including city, road, and railway design.
• Mining Engineering – focused on the study and development of processes for extracting and processing minerals.
• Electrical Engineering – dedicated to the design and study of systems for producing and applying electricity, including generators, electric motors, and electronics.
• Chemical Engineering – focused on large-scale industrial chemical processes, as well as the development of new materials and chemical products.
• Reverse Engineering – concerned with the analysis of physical objects and systems to replicate or improve them. It is applied in diverse fields such as computer science and automotive engineering.

Additionally, some agricultural sciences intersect with engineering, leading to specializations such as:

• Forest Engineering – focused on the exploration of forests and the production of forest products.
• Animal Science Engineering – dedicated to livestock development.
• Agronomy Engineering – focused on the design and exploration of agricultural processes.
• Fishery Engineering – concerned with the large-scale exploration of the entire fish supply chain (including aquaculture) and the creation of new methods. It is part of agricultural sciences and plays a crucial role in the revolution of fishing and aquaculture practices, which, along with agriculture, are among the oldest practices in the world and vital for human life.

Curiosity!

With the dichotomy between engineering (civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical, and mining) and the advent of agricultural engineering, we see the evolution of Industrial Engineering from a collection of specialties into its own engineering discipline. It focuses on improving processes and industrial management through the integration of technological, human, and economic factors, with the steam engine marking a significant milestone for industrial engineering.

Integration with Computers

As in other scientific and technological fields, computers and software play an increasingly important role in engineering. There are numerous computer-assisted applications specifically for engineering. Computers can be used to generate models of fundamental physical processes, which can be solved using numerical methods.

In various areas of scientific and technological activity, the use of computers and software is vital in engineering, both for their practicality in calculations and for creating 2D and 3D designs (depending on the project’s complexity and whether a physical scale model is required).

CAD (Computer-Aided Design) applications, along with DMU (Digital Mock-Up) applications and CAE (Computer-Aided Engineering), including finite element and analytical element analysis, enable the creation of project models that can be analyzed without the need for costly and time-consuming prototypes.

These applications allow for examination of products and components for potential fault detection, assessing factors such as assembly, fit, and ergonomics. They facilitate the analysis of dynamic characteristics of systems, including mechanical stresses, temperatures, electromagnetic emissions, electrical currents, voltage, flow rates, and kinematics. Access to and distribution of this data is typically organized through PDM (Product Data Management).