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A guide to engineering terminology

Book open Reading time: 4 mins

Building things is great, but constructing jargon isn’t always helpful – so we’re decoding the specialised terms in the engineering sector.

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What is engineering?

So let’s start with the basics: ‘engineering’ is the design, production and maintenance of the fundamental processes and materials we enjoy in today’s society. It’s a scientific discipline, manipulating different forms of energy to sustain industrial and technological advancement. 

Without engineers, we wouldn’t have roads, bridges, telecoms systems, power plants, missiles or juice cartons. Whether it’s the delicate framework of digital software or the girders propping up an office complex, each feat of engineering has a purpose that feeds our everyday lives. All of it goes towards building a more capable world, and engineers make sure their work is informed by sums, figures and human data that relate to this goal. 

What do engineers do?

An engineer can operate in various capacities, with key areas including civil defence, communications, biochemicals, mechanics and environmental sustainability. Typically, engineers work in groups to research, co-ordinate and strategise about their operational methods, working on site to realise a project’s aims. 

It’s no surprise that this abundance of professional fields results in a wide slew of industry phrases and terminology. Some are specific to one area of science, while others are more generalised, drawing standards or methods of practice into a single definition.

Key engineering terms defined

Now that you have a handle on what an engineer is expected to accomplish, here is some important engineering jargon that you might need to recognise:

  • Amphoterism. A chemical molecule that can react equally as an acid or base compound. A lot of metals contain amphiprotic matter after they oxidise. 
  • Bandwidth. The maximum amount of hours in any given day that any employee may work, if they so choose.
  • Bending moment. This term arises a lot in structural and civil engineering. It's the reaction in a structural component – such as a steel or wooden beam – when a force is applied that causes it to bend.
  • Centripetal force. A force acting against rotational acceleration (literally ‘seeking the centre’ – in contrast to centrifugal force, which is ‘fleeing the centre’).
  • Computer-aided design (CAD). The use of computer models and programs to create, modify and optimise the design of components. Whereas designs used to be drawn by hand by experienced engineers and technicians, computer modelling replaced this practice in the early 2000s and allows engineering calculations and parameters to be tested and tweaked.
  • Deflection. How a support structure responds to a load resting on it. Various beam designs, for example, flex and react differently to the loads they are carrying. 
  • Electronics. The science and technology behind the use of active devices to manage the emission, flow and control of electrons in vacuum and matter. In contrast with electrical engineering, which passively controls electronic flow.
  • Engine. An engine (or motor) is a machine designed to convert one form of energy into mechanical energy. Most often found in vehicles like cars or trains, and part of the domain of mechanical engineers.
  • Half-life. Describes the time required for half of something to go through a process. Commonly used in nuclear physics to delineate radioactive decay.
  • Indicators. Devices that display information, like a screen or flashing warning lights. 
  • International System of Units (SI). The modern form of the metric system – the only system of measurement with an official status in nearly every country in the world, and universally used by engineers in the UK. The seven units included (and what they measure) are: second (symbol s, the unit of time), metre (m, length), kilogram (kg, mass), ampere (A, electric current), kelvin (K, thermodynamic temperature), mole (mol, amount of substance) and candela (cd, luminous intensity).
  • Kinetic energy. The energy of motion, separated into three categories – vibrational, rotational and transitional – which relate to how the movement is made. 
  • Machine elements. The components that make a machine work, such as buttons, gears, train belts, transistors and lubricants. 
  • Machine learning. The study and use of computer algorithms to improve systems automatically as they absorb data. Increasingly used across engineering and many other sectors as part of artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce human input and increase output.
  • Object code. The output from a machine’s assembler that can be converted into working machine code – ie. inherent operational capabilities.    
  • Phase diagram. A type of chart used often by engineers that shows the conditions, such as volume, temperature and pressure, under which material phases (solid, liquid, gas) occur.
  • Scalar. A physical quantity that can be expressed as a single number – eg. 100km, or 30ml.
  • Thermodynamics. A branch of physics that is used often in various fields of engineering. It deals with aspects of heat and temperature, and their relation to energy, radiation and the physical properties of matter.

Why engineering terminology is important

It pays to be clued up on engineering terminology before you apply for a position; it’ll make the training process easier to understand when some of these words inevitably come up. The interview stage itself can filter great candidates from lesser ones by pinpointing those that know the relevant lingo.

It’s also another sign that your passion has no bounds before you properly launch into an engineering career. Sprinkling these engineering terms throughout your answers and anecdotes can add depth to your responses and highlight your suitability for the role, as a young engineer aware of the codes and practices you’ll be adhering to.

Defining lessons

By researching what specific terms are used in your chosen field, you’ll quickly get a feel for the codes of conduct driving operations in that sector. Language is a tool that shouldn’t be undervalued – it symbolises our intelligence, our creativity and our need to communicate.

Engineering terminology is designed to accentuate all these aspects and simplify interaction between different teams and organisations, to positively impact millions of people every day.

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