We explain what engineering is and what was its historical origin. Also, what are the characteristics of each of its branches.
What is engineering?
Engineering is a discipline and a field of study that consist in the application of scientific knowledge to the solution of problems and challenges facing humanity, in its very different areas. This involves both the design, construction and development of tools, machines and installations, as well as the handling of natural resources, the production of synthetic materials or the conceptualization of processes and systems.
Although engineering as we understand it today is recent in the historyIt is legitimate to affirm that as a discipline it has been accompanying us since ancient ages. So much so that it would be difficult to find a point of origin for it, since the mastery and reproduction of fire, the construction of ceramic furnaces or the manufacture of lithic tools are, in their own way, forms of engineering, that is, of applying ingenuity. human to solve everyday problems.
In fact, the word "engineering" comes from the Roman past, born from the word ingenium. With the latter, they called war machines (generally siege machines) in the Roman army, which acquired that name because they were the product, precisely, of human ingenuity, that is, of the innate character, of the genius that resides within people (ingenium comes from the voices in, "Inside", and genium, "Begotten").
From this term was derived engineer, who was the expert soldier in operating the mills, and from there came in turn the French voice engineer (machinist), which ended up being engineer in English and engineer in Spanish. Over time, the sense of "machine operator" changed to "machine builder", and thus the current sense of what an engineer is was born.
However, the sense of engineering changed dramatically with the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century: it went on to become one of the most vast and complex disciplines of humanity, probably one of those that has had the greatest impact on the way in which the Humans we inhabit the planet, transforming it to our benefit.
That is why engineering training implies access to a gigantic collection of knowledge specialized, as well as an important management of idioms formallogic, math) and complex techniques whose purpose is, in one way or another, to make human life simpler, more comfortable and durable.
Branches of engineering
Engineering is an extremely broad discipline that has a large number of specific applications, through which it addresses different aspects and problems of human life. Its most important branches are:
- Mechanical Engineering. This is one of the oldest and most important branches of engineering, dedicated to the study and design of machines: from robots and hydraulic or cooling systems, up to land vehicles, maritime or space ships. Mechanical engineering makes use of the principles of physical to compose complex tools, allowing new construction dynamics, obtaining Energy, displacement, and a gigantic etcetera. In general, when we think abstractly about engineering, we tend to think about mechanical engineering.
- Industrial engineering. It is dedicated to the study and optimization of the productive processes and systems of humanity, through which the raw material becomes diverse products made for him consumption direct or indirect. This branch of engineering became in the 18th century one of the most relevant disciplines in the labor, economic and technological world of the moment, and continues to be so today. The design and development of machinery, tools and all kinds of productive circuits is found within the consumer society, and engineering uses all kinds of disciplines and Sciences to achieve the objective to make production more viable and efficient.
- Civil Engineering. This branch can be understood as engineering dedicated to making the world passable by human beings, since it uses formal tools such as calculus, sciences such as physics and the practical study of the real environment, to design and build facilities and constructions, such as ports, bridges, dikes, dams, etc. It is very in contact with urban planning and architecture, and it is one of the most fundamental branches of engineering in the entire world.
- Environmental engineering. Many consider environmental engineering a sub-branch of civil engineering, but in recent times, in the face of the need to think about an ecologically sustainable world, this form of engineering has gained clear importance. Using knowledge of the chemistry, physics, biology, the geology, the economy and the technological tools of the moment, its task is to propose a model of sustainable development that allows the fair use of the earth's resources, so that making it profitable financially, but not ruin the ecosystem in the process. Seen this way, it is about engineering that designs the world for future generations.
- Electric engineering. As its name implies, electrical engineering is dedicated to the study of the practical applications of the electromagnetism. Through the appropriate tools from physics and mathematics, it deals with the design, construction and installation of equipment and networks capable of generating, transmitting and preserving the electric current, so indispensable in the postindustrial world of the 21st century. His field of interest, moreover, is very close to that of the electronics and the telecommunications.
- Electronic Engineering. Focused on electronics, electromagnetism and circuit theory, this is perhaps one of the branches of engineering that had the greatest impact on the world since its emergence, and that transformed the other branches and even other areas of knowledge more dramatically and radically. . His applied knowledge led to the development of microprocessors, microcontrollers, integrated circuits and other pieces of technology vital to the world of telecommunications, computing and the electronic instruments we use on a daily basis.
- engineering computing. Also called engineering in computing, is dedicated to the application of the knowledge and principles of computing in the design of computational equipment, also taking advantage of the contributions of electrical engineering, electronics, telecommunications and the so-called engineering of software, which despite its name is a branch of computing.
- Engineering in telecommunications. Its name makes it very clear: it focuses on the design and development of tools for the transmission of information over long distances, that is, telecommunications. Either through waves electromagnetic or optical fibers, this branch of engineering aims to improve and perfect the transmission dynamics of data to achieve increasingly fast, efficient and practical systems. Without them, we would not have Internet.
- Chemical engineering. Dedicated mainly to the chemical transformation industry of the matter, this branch of engineering focuses its efforts on studying, designing, simulating, optimizing and maintaining the dynamics of production of compounds Y substances, especially those that cannot be found in the nature (synthetic), or that cannot be found with high levels of purity. In addition, the design of new materials, the control of chemical reactions and even the processes of refining substances are not unknown to him.
- Physical engineering. The closest thing to a theoretical branch that engineering has is physical engineering, whose purpose is to adapt new sciences and technologies to novel uses of the industry, through the abstract contemplation of the physical phenomena that they are involved in. Put more simply, it is an area of technology developers, strongly committed to the innovation.
- Engineering of the Petroleum. Another important branch of engineering in the modern world, which proposes design through Scientific methods and practices of efficient systems to detect, extract, process and refine the hydrocarbons that are stored under the Earth crust: we refer to coal, oil and natural gas, The main Energy sources and derived materials in the contemporary world.
- Engineering in food. It is a field of multidisciplinary knowledge, in which sciences such as microbiology, chemistry, applied physics and even farming, in order to design and implement profitable, efficient and responsible circuits for the production of food and pharmaceutical products. This can encompass activities such as the design of production plants, government supervision, technical support, and food preservation, among many others in the field.
- Military engineering. As its name indicates, this is the branch of engineering dedicated to the development, innovation and manufacture of military equipment, that is, military weapons and vehicles for military use. It is not limited to the design and construction of rifles or tanks, however, but also ventures into the world of telecommunications, demolition or construction, always for the purposes of military attack or defense.
- Genetic engineering. Genetic engineering is not strictly speaking a branch of engineering, but rather a set of scientific procedures whose main goal is the manipulation of genes in animal and plant species, in order to make them more beneficial for the various industries. This is how manipulated species (often called “transgenic”) Capable of withstanding worse environmental conditions, of bearing more fruit or more milk, or simply of resisting certain diseases, making their exploitation more profitable and guaranteeing the supply of food on a large scale.