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Lecture 2 The History of Engineering

Here are four interesting facts about Leonardo da Vinci: 1. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, scientist, musician and engineer. He was a true Renaissance man. 2. Some of his inventions include designs for a helicopter, tank, calculator and parachute - hundreds of years before they were actually built. 3. He made detailed drawings and notes on science, engineering and art. He made over 7,000 pages of drawings and notes that provide insight into his thinking. 4. He was left-handed, wrote backwards, and used his skills and curiosity to make detailed observations of the natural world. Some conclusions about how his works influenced later inventions are that his detailed drawings of machines

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60 views22 pages

Lecture 2 The History of Engineering

Here are four interesting facts about Leonardo da Vinci: 1. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, scientist, musician and engineer. He was a true Renaissance man. 2. Some of his inventions include designs for a helicopter, tank, calculator and parachute - hundreds of years before they were actually built. 3. He made detailed drawings and notes on science, engineering and art. He made over 7,000 pages of drawings and notes that provide insight into his thinking. 4. He was left-handed, wrote backwards, and used his skills and curiosity to make detailed observations of the natural world. Some conclusions about how his works influenced later inventions are that his detailed drawings of machines

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Precise Material Testing Ltd
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chapter 1

The History of
Engineering

Professor: Dr. Miguel Alonso Jr.


Outline

Introduction
Getting Started
The Beginnings of Engineering
An Overview of Ancient Engineering
Traveling Through the Ages
Case Study: Two Historic Engineers
The History of the Disciplines
Introduction
In engineering, every new
innovation builds upon existing
ones
Few innovations early on, but as
time passed, innovations occurred
more rapidly
Today, almost happens daily
History provides a big picture
Before, during and after some of the
greatest engineering problems ever
faced
Introduction
History is about people, not dates
Insights about past engineering developments
will keep you motivated
You can relate your current work to prior work
that has been done
Engineers are Professionals and Leaders
Need to understand the origins of the profession
Provides insight as to how the greatest minds in
history have tackled problems
Introduction

As an engineer, it is your responsibility to


understand the past and present state of the
art, as well as keep studying throughout your
career
The study of history helps us understand
what good qualities from the past are worth
emulating
Definition of Engineering
According to ABET (the accreditation board
for engineering and technology)
The profession in which knowledge of
the mathematical and natural sciences,
gained by study, experience, and
practice, is applied with judgment to
develop ways to use, economically, the
materials and forces of nature for the
benefit of mankind.
History helps us to interpret scenarios and
to sort out the pros and cons of various
options
Solid knowledge of history completes our
engineering education
Getting Started

Prehistoric culture
Did not have a grasp of mathematical principles
nor knowledge of natural science as we know it
today
Many of their designs were built by trial and
error
Spear after spear, until they perfected it
No written communication or transportation,
so little info or innovation was exchanged
Each group developed on its own
Prehistoric Culture
Physical limitations of prehistoric
cultures
No written language
Verbal language was limited
No means of transportation
No separate concept of education or
specialized methodology to discover new
things
Hunting and gathering
Improvement came about very slowly
How does engineering impact each of
these areas?
Computer Age

We live in the computer age


Answers to millions of questions are at your
fingertips (The Internet)
Group Activity
Analyze four events (one per person) that you consider
to be engineering highlights and explain their importance
to the progress of man. Each group can chose from the
following areas:
Prehistoric Man

Egypt and Mesopotamia

Greece and Rome

Europe in the middle ages

Europe in the industrial revolution

The 20th Century


Pace of History
Rate of innovation is far more rapid than in the
past
Think of the first time you used a computer and
think about using that computer today
SO SLOW!!!!
Old phrase, Rome was not built in one day
Engineering feats of the past often took several
generations to accomplish
Read the quick overview on pg 4 and comment
The Beginnings of
Engineering

Foundations of engineering came from our


ancestors efforts to survive and to improve
their quality of life
They looked around their environment and
saw areas where life could be made easier
and more stable
Hunting, fishing, building better shelters
Day to day survival
The earliest days

As life became more complicated, collections


of families became communities, the need
grew to look into new areas of concern
Power struggles
Acquisition of land
Religious observance, etc.
Name some cultures that still live in this way
today
Egypt and Mesopotamia

As cities grew, people who showed special


aptitude in certain areas were identified and
assigned certain tasks
This was a scientific breakthrough in itself!
Labeling and grouping
Dedicated time and resources for
development
This created the first real engineers
Between 4000 and 2000 B.C. Egypt and
Mesopotamia were the focal points for
engineering
Stone tools
Copper and bronze were perfected
Led to plows for farming and settling
Wheel, sailboat, methods of writing
Immediately improved the way of life
During the construction of the pyramids, the
number of engineers required was massive
Engineering dealt with
Dimensions and fit of the stones
Transportation of the stones
Security (against grave robbers)
The Stepped Pyramid of Sakkara (2700 BC)
Imhotep, chief engineer to King Zoser
The great pyramid of Khufu (2500 BC)

Link:
http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&ll=2
9.978152,31.135061&spn=0.007769,0.02008
4&t=h&z=16&om=1
Egyptian engineers used simple tools and with great
accuracy, insight and technical rigor built the pyramids
The great pyramid of khufu is the larget masonary
structure every built
Base: 756 feet on each side

Height: 480 feet

Casing blocks of limestone were attached to all four


sides
Casing blocks ~ 15 tons

Read the excerpt on page 7


Overview of Ancient
Engineering

Guide from 2000 B.C. to the Present


The temples of Greece
Iktinos in Athens around 447BC and completed
around 438BC
Read excerpt on pg 8
Roman Road and Aqueducts
Roman Road, the Appian way, began around 312 BC
Connected Rome and Capua, 142 miles, and
eventually reached Brundisium in southern Italy (360
miles)
29 major roads eventually connected Rome to the rest
of the empire
The great wall of china
220BC during the Chin Dynasty

Built by Emperor Shih Huang Ti


to repel mongolian invaders
The emperor, and his general
Meng Tien functioned as
engineers, even though this was
not their primary role
3080 miles in length originally,
currently 1700 miles
Classwork Case Study: Two
Historic engineers

Leonardo Davinci
List four interesting facts
Study some of his inventions and draw
conclusions on how these works influenced later
inventions or innovations
Guttenberg
What was the first book to ever be printed?
What is the most significant impact to the
engineer?

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