CK-12 Engineering: An Introduction for High School
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As engineered systems have become more complex, teams of engineers have grown to deal with this complexity. Many advances in the Industrial Revolution were made by individuals or small groups; on the other hand, the creation of a modern jetliner now requires the efforts of thousands of people around the globe.
Engineering advances have dramatically affected society, and will continue to do so. Technological advances provide opportunities to improve society as well as risks. Engineers today and in the future must work within the context of global societies to see that engineering progress does not lead to negative consequences.
Vocabulary
Aqueduct
A man-made channel for carrying water.
Assembly line
A system for assembling identical objects using a sequence of processes.
CADD
CADD stands for computer-aided design and drafting. It is the practice of using computer software to represent the geometry of designed objects.
Cathedral
A large church building. A Cathedral is usually associated with a bishop.
Cesspi
A pit or tank in the ground for the storage of human waste and other sewage.
Chronometer
A device for measuring time.
Cistern
A tank for holding water or other liquid.
Corporation
A group of people authorized by law to act as a single entity, usually for the purpose of making money.
Cottage Industry
A manufacturing activity carried on in one’s home.
Drainage basin
The region drained by a river or stream. Precipitation falling into the drainage basin of a river will end up in the river if it does not evaporate or seep into the ground.
Dynamo
A machine that converts rotational energy such as that generated by a water wheel or a steam engine into electrical energy.
Electromagnetic waves
Waves such as light or radio waves that propagate through the interaction of electric and magnetic fields.
Factory
A building where things are manufactured.
Fly-by-wire
An aircraft control system in which the setting of control surfaces (e.g., the rudder, ailerons, and so on) is controlled by electrical signals.
Flying buttress
A structure that transfers the weight loads from roofs and upper stories to the ground in Gothic architecture.
Integrated circuit
An electronic circuit of transistors etched onto a small piece of silicon which is sometimes referred to as a microchip.
Interchangeable parts
Parts that are manufactured to a particular specification so that any one of a given part can be used in a machine or assembly.
Internal combustion engine
An engine that generates power by burning a fuel inside the engine.
Locomotive
An engine for pulling trains.
Longitude
The distance east or west of the prime meridian, an imaginary north-south line that passes through Greenwich, England. It is measured in degrees.
Mainframe computer
A large high-speed computer that typically supports many users at once.
Mason
A stone worker.
Microprocessor
An integrated circuit that implements a computer processor that can store and manipulate data to perform a wide variety of useful functions.
Minicomputer
A computer that supports many users at once and whose computing capacity is lower than a mainframe. Minicomputers have largely been supplanted by powerful personal computers.
Morse code
A code in which letters of the alphabet are represented by patterns of long and short bursts of sound.
Patent
The exclusive rights granted by a government to an inventor to manufacture, use, or sell an invention for a certain number of years.
Perspective
A way of drawing solid objects so that their height and depth are apparent.
Piston
a disk or solid cylinder that moves up and down in a larger hollow cylinder.
Potable
Potable water is water that is clean enough to drink.
Printing press
A machine for printing newspapers and books.
Qanat
An irrigation tunnel through which water flows from an aquifer (ground water) to a village or town.
Reservoir
A body of water, usually formed behind a dam.
Rule of thumb
A general principle that may not be accurate for every situation to which it is applied.
Semiconductor
A substance that conducts electricity better than an insulator but not as well as a conductor. Silicon is a semiconductor used to make microchips.
Siphon
A pipe used to convey water through an area that is higher or lower than the beginning and end of the siphon.
Trade organization
An organization formed to promote the economic interests of a group of people.
Transcontinental
Stretching across the continent.
Transistor
An electrical component made from silicon or other semiconductors that can be used to build computers, radios, and other useful electronic devices.
Typesetting
The process of arranging letters prior to printing.
Vacuum tube
An electrical component that was used to create amplifiers and other useful electrical circuits. A vacuum tube contains metal components inside a glass tube that is sealed to exclude air or other gasses from the tube.
References
Dava Sobel. Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time. Penguin, 1996.
David Bjerklie. “The Art of Renaissance Engineering.” Downloaded July 2004. Available on the web at
http://www.technologyreview.com/Biztech/11629/
Eugene S. Ferguson. Engineering and the Mind’s Eye. The MIT Press, 1994.
Gary Cross and Rick Szostak. Technology and American Society. Pearson-Prentice Hall, 2005.
Joseph Gies and Frances Gies. Cathedral, Forge and Waterwheel: Technology and Invention in the Middle Ages. Harper Perennial, 1995.
National Academy of Engineering. A Century of Innovation: Twenty Engineering Achievements that Transformed Our Lives. Joseph Henry Press, 2003.
Richard Shelton Kirby, Sidney Withington, Arthur Burr Darling, and Frederick Gridley Kilgour. Engineering in History. McGraw-Hill, 1956.
Sunny Y. Auyang. Engineering—An Endless Frontier. Harvard University Press, 2004.
T. K. Derry and Trevor I. Williams. A Short History of Technology: From the Earliest Times to A.D. 1900. Oxford University Press, 1961.
Instructor Supplemental Resources
Standards
ASEE Draft Engineering Standards. This chapter is focused on “Dimension 3: The Nature of Engineering” and “Dimension 5: Engineering and Society” of the ASEE Corporate Members Council Draft Engineering Standards; these draft standards will serve as input to the National Academy of Engineering process of considering engineering standards for K-12 education. These dimensions include the following outcomes:
Students will develop an understanding of the characteristics and broad scope of engineering.
Students will be able to be creative and innovative in their thought process and actions.
Students will develop an understanding that engineering is an ethical human endeavor that addresses the needs of a global society.
Students will be able to investigate and analyze the impact of engineering on a global society.
Common Preconceptions
Engineering and Engineers
Students have little to no knowledge about what engineers do or to the range of engineering careers open to them. They rarely kno
w anyone who is an engineer unless that person is a relative. Perceptions of what engineers do are limited to planning, designing, building, fixing, and repairing things. Engineers are also perceived as male and never female. Engineers who work with computers are viewed as hackers. All engineers are viewed as lacking social qualities.
Technology
Students also have preconceptions of technology. They see technology as limited primarily to computers and related to electronic devices. They do not see such simple artifacts as zippers or forks as technological innovations that were groundbreaking in their time. Nor, do they see the built world as filled with engineering innovations that have served the needs of society.
Addressing the Needs of a Global Society
Among female students in particular, the strongest preconception is that engineering does not meet the needs of society and as a consequence students do not choose engineering careers. This naïve conception is strongly linked to the lack of knowledge about what engineers do and the range of engineering careers available to them. Furthermore, since conceptions of engineering are limited to building, fixing, and repairing things, as well as designing and planning, students’ views of engineering and its reach is local rather than global. Female students are also more likely than males to describe the products of engineering as having just as many negative impacts on society such as bombs, as positive impacts.
Investigate and Analyze the Impact of Engineering on a Global Society
Most people in the United States do not recognize the role of engineers in developing new forms of energy or drugs or even working in space. These activities are seen as the work of scientists. Furthermore, they do not understand that engineers work with scientists to create new technologies. In a survey of the International Technology Education Association, when students look at large-scale problems such as those relating to the environment, they tend to focus their analysis on the scientific aspects of such problems and ignore the ethical, economic, legal, and social components. A narrow focus in analyzing problems that impact a global society, attributing the work of engineers to scientists and misunderstanding the role of technology must first be addressed before students can investigate and analyze the impact of engineering on a global society.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CK-12 License
Chapter 1: Nature of Engineering
Chapter 2: Nature of Engineering
Chapter 3: Engineering & Society
Chapter 4: Introduction to Engineering Design
Chapter 5: Connecting Science and Mathematics to Engineering
Chapter 6: A Brief History of Engineering
CK-12 Engineering: An Introduction for High School