An engine is something that produces some effect from a given input. The origin of engineering was the working of engines. There is an overlap in English between two meanings of the word "engineer": 'those who operate engines' and 'those who design and construct new items'.
In original usage, an engine was any sort of mechanical device. The term "gin" in cotton gin is a short form of this usage. Practically every device from the industrial revolution was referred to as an engine, and this is where the steam engine gained its name. This form of the term has recently come into use once again in computer science, where terms like search engine, "3-D graphics rendering engine" and "text-to-speech engine" are common. The earliest mechanical computing device was called the difference engine.
In more recent usage, the term is typically used to describe devices that perform mechanical work, follow-ons to the original steam engine. In most cases the work is supplied by exerting a torque, which is used to operate other machinery, generate electricity, pump water or compress gas.
In the context of propulsion systems, an air breathing engine is one that uses atmospheric air to oxidise the fuel carried, rather than carrying an oxidiser, as in a rocket. Theoretically, this should result in a better specific impulse than for rocket engines.
Industrial engineers integrate human, information, material, monetary, and technological resources to produce goods and services optimally.
Links pertaining to petroleumengineering for the academic, governmental and industrial communities.
The Wastewater Engineering Virtual Library was established on Dec. 5, 1994 and is devoted to all aspects of municipal and industrial wastewater treatment.
Employment of engineering technicians often is influenced by the same local and national economic conditions that affect engineers; as a result, job outlook varies with industry and specialization.
Engineering technicians who work in research and development build or set up equipment; prepare and conduct experiments; collect data; calculate or record results; and helpengineers or scientists in other ways, such as making prototype versions of newly designed equipment.
Growth in the largest specialty—electrical and electronicsengineering technicians—is expected to be about as fast as the average, while employment of environmentalengineering technicians is expected to grow faster than average to meet the environmental demands of an ever-growing population.
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