4 Dimensions of Engineering

In the discussion of engineering knowledge it is helpful to think of  engineering  as  comprising  four  major  dimensions  the  dimensions  of the  basic sciences,  of  the  social sciences, of design,  and of  practical  accomplishment.  This lets  us  think of the  engineer  as  a  professional  who  combines,  in  variable proportions, the qualities of a scientist, a sociologist, a designer, and a doer. The dimension inspired by the basic sciences views engineering as the application of the natural and exact sciences, stressing the values of logics and rigour, and seeing knowledge  as  produced through analysis and  experimentation. Research is the preferred modus operandi  of this dimension,  where  the discovery  of first principles is seen as the activity leading to higher recognition. The  social  dime...