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Mechanical Engineering

Also Known As ME Standard academic/industry abbreviation.

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Mechanical engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with the design, construction and operation of machines, dealing with forces, motion and the transfer of energy through mechanisms such as gears, levers, engines and turbines. It is one of the oldest engineering disciplines, tracing continuous practice from ancient siege engines and water mills through the steam engine and the internal combustion engine to the automobile, the machine tool and the industrial robot.

Facts
Disputed
Origin Year
1880 1
Practices recognizable as mechanical engineering predate this by millennia; 1880 marks the founding of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the first dedicated professional body for the discipline in the United States.
Core Concern
Forces, motion and energy transfer through machines and mechanisms. 1
Core Principle
Mechanical engineering combines engineering physics, mathematics and materials science to design, analyze, manufacture and maintain physical machines and mechanisms that involve force and movement. 2
Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Agricultural Engineering, Fields
James Watt, Engineers
Marine Engineering, Fields

Marine engineering draws on mechanical engineering for propulsion plants and machinery.

Source Marine Engineering (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Nuclear Engineering, Fields

Reactor cooling systems, turbines and containment structures are mechanical engineering concerns.

Source American Nuclear Society, About (ans.org)American Nuclear Society
Petroleum Engineering, Fields

Drilling rigs and pumping equipment are principally mechanical engineering hardware.

Robotics Engineering, Fields

A robot physical structure, actuators and manipulators are principally mechanical engineering design problems.

Textile Engineering, Fields
The Steam Engine, Inventions

Includes

Archimedes, Engineers
Source A History of TechnologyCharles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors
Casting, Methods
CNC Machining, Methods
Forging, Methods
Injection Molding, Methods
James Watt, Engineers
Source A History of TechnologyCharles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors
Johannes Gutenberg, Engineers
Source A History of TechnologyCharles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors
John H. Hall, Engineers
Mass Production, Methods
Source Encyclopaedia BritannicaEncyclopaedia Britannica editors
Simeon North, Engineers
Steel, Materials
Source A History of TechnologyCharles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors
The Analytical Engine, Inventions
Source Encyclopaedia BritannicaEncyclopaedia Britannica editors
The Assembly Line, Methods
Source Technology: A World HistoryDaniel R. Headrick
The Automobile, Inventions
Source Encyclopaedia BritannicaEncyclopaedia Britannica editors
The Internal Combustion Engine, Inventions
Source Encyclopaedia BritannicaEncyclopaedia Britannica editors
The Mechanical Clock, Inventions
The Printing Press, Inventions
Source A History of TechnologyCharles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors
The Steam Engine, Inventions
Source A History of TechnologyCharles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors
The Wheel, Inventions
Source A History of TechnologyCharles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors
Thomas Newcomen, Engineers
Source A History of TechnologyCharles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors
Tungsten Carbide, Materials
Welding, Methods
Source Encyclopaedia BritannicaEncyclopaedia Britannica editors
Sources
1. Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
2. Mechanical Engineering (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIntroductory paragraph
Quote, Introductory paragraph
It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and maintain mechanical systems.
View the Source
2. Mechanical Engineering (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationLead section, opening definition of mechanical engineering
Quote, Lead section, opening definition of mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanisms that may involve force and movement.
View the Source
A History of Technology
Charles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors, Oxford University Press, 1954Includes: The Wheel
A History of Technology
Charles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors, Oxford University Press, 1954Includes: The Printing Press
A History of Technology
Charles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors, Oxford University Press, 1954Includes: The Steam Engine
A History of Technology
Charles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors, Oxford University Press, 1954Includes: Archimedes
A History of Technology
Charles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors, Oxford University Press, 1954Includes: Steel
A History of Technology
Charles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors, Oxford University Press, 1954Includes: Thomas Newcomen
A History of Technology
Charles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors, Oxford University Press, 1954Includes: James Watt
A History of Technology
Charles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors, Oxford University Press, 1954Includes: Johannes Gutenberg
Technology: A World History
Daniel R. Headrick, Oxford University Press, 2009Includes: The Assembly Line
Marine Engineering (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Marine EngineeringView the Source
American Nuclear Society, About (ans.org)
American Nuclear Society, American Nuclear SocietyAssociated With: Nuclear EngineeringView the Source
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