Exploring Engineering : an Introduction for Freshmen to Engineering and to the Design Process

Description

Winner of the Best New Undergraduate Textbook Award from the Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division of the American Association of Publishers! Exploring Engineering was developed to meet the need for a better way to introduce incoming engineering students to the fundamental concepts at the heart of all engineering disciplines. It was also created to show students in a vivid way the great array of opportunities and possibilities of today's engineering fields-from classical mechanical engineering to bioengineering and mechatronics. This is the first text to introduce nearly all of the. Read more... Content: Foreword; Acknowledgments; Part 1 Minds-on; 1 What Engineers Do; Introduction; Learning Sections; What You Should Expect from This Book; Summary; 2 Key Elements of Engineering Analysis; The Elements of Engineering Analysis; 3 Solving Problems and Spreadsheet Analyses; The Need to Know How to Solve Method; Spreadsheet Analysis; Graphing in Spreadsheets; Summary; Exercises; 4 Energy: Kinds, Conversion, and Conservation; Using Energy; Energy Is the Capability to Do Work; Summary; Exercises; 5 Chemical Energy of Fuels; Energy Conversion; Atoms, Molecules, and Chemical Reactions. The Air-to-Fuel RatioThe Heating Value of Hydrocarbon Fuels; The Heating Value of Fuels: The General Case; Summary; Exercises; 6 The Automotive Drive Train; The Otto Cycle; Modeling the Power Output of the Otto Cycle; Derivation of Otto Cycle Power Output Equation; Motion; Gearing and Gear Ratios; Exercises; 7 Electrical Circuits; Introduction; Electrical Circuits; Resistance, Ohm's Law, and the ''Power Law''; Switches; Summary; Exercises; 8 Logic and Computers; Introduction; Analog Computers; From Analog to Digital Computing; Truth Tables; Binary Arithmetic; Binary Codes. How Does a Computer Work?Summary; Exercises; 9 Control Systems Design and Mechatronics; Introduction; Modeling the Control System as a Block Diagram; Selecting a Control Strategy; Implementing the Chosen Strategy in Hardware; 10 Kinematics and Traffic Flow; Introduction; The Speed Versus Time Diagram; General Equations of Kinematics; The Highway Capacity Diagram; Exercises; 11 Introduction to Materials Engineering; Introduction; Summary; Exercises; 12 Introduction to Bioengineering; Introduction; Biological Implications of Injuries to the Head; The Fracture Criterion. Criteria for Predicting Effects of Potential AccidentsSummary; Exercises; 13 Introduction to Chemical Engineering; Introduction; Summary; Exercises; 14 Cars of the Future--What Will They Be Like?; The Car Culture; Big Changes Ahead: Convergence; Smart Automobile Safety Systems; Smart Tire Systems; Smart Exhaust Systems; Smart Drive-By-Wire Systems; Smart Highway Systems; Smart Traffic Systems; Smart Advanced Power Systems: Variable Displacement and Variable Valve Engines; Fuel Cell Systems; Looking Forward; Part 2 Hands-on; 15 Introduction to Engineering Design. The Nature of Engineering DesignHands-on Design Exercise: ''The Tower''; Benefits of a Hands-on Design Project; Qualities of a Good Designer; The Need for a Systematic Approach; Ground Rule Number 2: Team Effectively; 17 Clarification of the Task; Problem Definition; List of Specifications; Design Milestone: Clarification of the Task; 18 Generation of Alternative Concepts; Brainstorming; Concept Sketching; Hands-on Design Exercise: ''The Tube''; Research-Based Strategies for Promoting Creativity; Functional Decomposition for Complex Systems; Design Milestone: Generation of Alternatives. Abstract: Winner of the Best New Undergraduate Textbook Award from the Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division of the American Association of Publishers! Exploring Engineering was developed to meet the need for a better way to introduce incoming engineering students to the fundamental concepts at the heart of all engineering disciplines. It was also created to show students in a vivid way the great array of opportunities and possibilities of today's engineering fields-from classical mechanical engineering to bioengineering and mechatronics. This is the first text to introduce nearly all of the