This articles defines the basic function of engineering and gives a brief description of various fields of engineering and their functions.
The term ‘Engineering’ in general relates to the application of scientific and mathematical principles to develop better and more efficient methods for design, manufacture and operation of various systems. Engineering has been a very important area of study throughout human history. It has helped man surpass various obstacles on his road to success.
Due to a growth in the scope of engineering, it was divided into various fields to make the task of study and implementation easier. Some of these fields are:
a) Aerospace Engineering – This field of engineering deals with design, production and operation of various aircrafts, spacecrafts, missiles and other airborne technologies. This field is an expansion of another branch of engineering termed as the Aeronautical engineering, which deals exclusively with aircrafts. More information about aerospace engineering can be found here.
b) Automotive Engineering – This area deals with applications of principles from various fields of engineering to the efficient design and operation of automobiles. Read more here.
c) Chemical Engineering – This branch deals with conversion of chemicals into useful forms of energy in an efficient manner. All crucial factors in other large scale production processes are managed by a chemical engineer. You can read more about chemical engineering here.
d) Civil Engineering – Civil engineering is mainly concerned with planning and construction of fixed structures like roads, bridges, buildings, etc. This branch optimizes the various processes involved to help increase the lifespan of these structures. Get more detailed information about Civil engineering here.
e) Computer Engineering – This branch of engineering deals with the design and production of devices which help in the automation of various manual processes. It always deals with developing softwares to provide instructions to different tools and machines in the required order. To know more about computer engineering, see this.
f) Electrical Engineering – As the name suggests, this branch deals with the efficient generation and distribution of electricity and maintenance of power supply. Read more about it here.
g) Electronics Engineering – This branch of engineering deals with the functioning of electronic devices and equipment. It studies the flow of electrons in various systems to determine the flaws and improve the efficiency of the systems. Read about it here.
h) Environmental Engineering – The main task of this branch of engineering is to make use of science and technology to improve the environmental conditions. More details here.
i) Mechanical Engineering – Mechanical engineers are mainly concerned with application of scientific principles to analyze the designing, manufacturing and maintenance processes of various mechanical systems. This branch of study is connected to all other branches of engineering in one way or the other. Read more about mechanical engineering here.
However, these are just a few fields of engineering study. Many new fields of engineering have risen in the recent days owing to requirements in various areas.
Engineers from each of these fields have just one major task to accomplish. It is determination of solution to a problem in their field by applying various scientific principles to generate a practical solution. They are more concerned with the final result than the means employed to achieve it.
