Question: out of all the qualifications you need to become a engineer which one do you use the most

Neil Taylor answered on 19 Mar 2015:

Hi roflekak1!

Hmm tricky question! I suppose my main qualification is my Engineering Degree, which is in use most of every day!

In terms of what aspects of that degree (and how it relates to school subjects), I would say either maths or physics. Physics principles are used a lot from something that is less tricky:

e.g. calculating the weight of things underwater (using Newton’s Second Law and Archimedes’ Principle)…

…to something that is more complicated, such as trying to predict the behaviour of a pipe in response to oil/gas at really high temperatures and pressure.

There are a lot of times where some complicated maths is used too. For example, sometimes sensors called “accelerometers” are placed on pipes. They give us information about how fast something is accelerating in three dimensions (i.e. up/down, left/right, and forwards/back).

By using some maths (fourier transformations) this data can be transformed into some more useful information – like what angle the pipe is tilted at, and how far it has moved up/down, left/right, and forwards/back over time!

I’ve left three links to previous questions below that will give you more information on Archimedes’ Principle, the behaviour of pipes, and accelerometers.

Hope this helps – and remember to vote tomorrow 😀

Archimedes’ Principle:
/safetym15-zone/2015/03/08/how-does-the-principles-of-science-and-mathematics-apply-to-your-everyday-tasks/#comment-65)

The Behaviour of Pipes
/safetym15-zone/2015/03/08/what-is-the-most-fascinating-thing-you-have-discovered-through-your-work/#comment-64

Accelerometers
/safetym15-zone/2015/03/12/what-are-the-best-parts-of-your-current-project-and-why/#comment-350