Notes from Chapter 4, Thinking Like an Engineer

1. Introduction Paragraph
   
   
   Communication is a necessary and valuable skill in the field of engineering. Anyone can have a great idea, but those who are able to communicate their ideas to others and gain their support are much more likely to succeed in their endeavors.
   
   
2. Basic Presentation Skills
   
   
   Preplanning
   5 Ws and 1 H

   Who is my audience?

   What is my purpose?

   Where is all the equipment I need? Where will the talk be held?

   When am I on the program agenda?

   Why am I giving this talk?

   How long should I talk?

   
   Preparing the Verbal Elements
   4 -S Formula
   Keep the speech
   
   

   Short- short sentences, short length of speech

   Simple- avoid wordy phrases

   Strong- use active voice

   Sincere- convey respect for audience

   
   Three Structural Parts
   
   

   Introduction- capture attention

   Body- keep attention, two or three main points, simple examples

   Conclusion- summarize, show appreciation, and answer a few questions

   
   Preparing Visual Aids
   
   

   Keep slides simple- one concept per slide/six lines per slide/60 seconds

   Use landscape format

   Use simple graphs instead of lists and tables

   Test the visibility of visual aids (videos, diagrams, pictures,etc.)

   Use bullet points not complete sentences

   Use large size text (18-24 at minimum)

   Use clearly visible formatting for words and visuals

   Use light background/dark print

   Keep background simple and consistent throughout presentation

   
   
3. Sample Presentations
   
   

   

   Figure 1: Sample Presentation 1

   
   

   

   Figure 2: Sample Presentation 2

   
   

   

   Figure 3: Sample Presentation 3
   

   
   

   From these three sample presentations, I recognize the importance of simple formatting and easy-to-understand concepts. Backgrounds and slide layouts should be open (not cramped) and bright so as to support visibility on large screens.
   Additionally, graphics (tables, figures, and videos) should be straight-forward and discuss one concept. Figures should not be redundant or inappropriately sized. Figures should also be accompanied by explanations of the data to ensure understanding.
   
   
4. Presentation Dos and Don’ts
   
   
   Do:

   Relax

   Speak slowly/clearly and with appropriate eye contact

   Use proper hand gestures

   Rehearse presentation out loud

   Arrive early to set up and solve any issues that may arise

   
   Do not:
   
   

   Lean on objects, turn back to audience, or cover your mouth

   Read presentation word for word

   Include inappropriate content

   Use fillers ("uh" or "um"), stammer, or overuse words and phrases

   Chew gum or fidget with surroundings

   Shuffle feet/pace/slouch

   Play with note cards 

   
   
5. Basic Technical Writing Skills
   
   

   Be clear

   Use 10 pt font size and 1.5 line spacing

   Use past tense verbs

   Define unfamiliar terms and acronyms to reader

   Present facts not feelings

   Be professional in tone

   Number/caption tables, figures, and appendices 

   Tables: numbers and captions appear above the object

   Figures: numbers and captions appear below the object 

   Proofread/edit

   Check formatting, spelling, and grammar

   Read the document twice

   1. Check technical content 

   2. Check flow

   - remove unnecessary content

   - Read the document aloud and follow the pace of punctuation (ex: pause appropriately for commas, colons, semi colons, and periods)

   - peer review

   Spell out numbers that start a sentence (Ex: Two ducks sat on a bench.)

   Keep leading zeros in decimals (Ex: The candy cost $0.79 per pound.)

   Do not spell out long numbers (Ex: I saw 1,000 cars on the highway.)

   Use dollar symbol (Ex: The DVD cost $20.)

   Use significant figures/be reasonable 

   Ex: The tomato weighed 52.154 grams. NO

   The tomato weighed 52 grams. YES 

   
   
6. Proper Use of References
   
   
   ABCs of evaluating info

   A: Authority

   Who is responsible for the info? 

   Is the author/organization a credible source on this subject? 

   B: Bias

   Is the information presented objectively?

   What is the author's purpose?

   C: Currency

   How current is the information?

   
   Additional Tips for Evaluating Info
   
   

   -Seek for sources reviewed by experts

   -Use articles that have secured peer-reviews by experts

   - Compare information from several sources to gain depth/quality

   "Until you compare several sources, you will not know what you are missing!" 

   - Corroborate information; Compare information from several sources to establish what info is fact and what info is opinion 

   
   7. E-mails to your college Instructors
   

   -Choose an appropriate email name for professional use

   -Address recipient with correct title

   -Use appropriate subject lines

   -Close your e-mail with your full name and contact info; include course number and meeting day/time

   - Ensure your sending name is your full name or an appropriate nickname (Ex: Zachary Williams or Zack Williams)

   - Keep it simple, brief, and easy to read

   -Clearly define the action you desire from the recipient (Ex: Please explain the procedure for finding the answer to the following homework problem.)

   - Use correct spelling, grammar, and formatting; avoid texting language

   -Be professional

   -Fill in the To: and CC: lines after writing the e-mail to avoid sending the e-mail before you are finished writing and editing it

   - Allow 48-72 hours for a reply; If the matter is urgent, you can send a follow-up message asking if the original message was received and/or seek out a meeting or telephone conversation

   
   
   

Notes From Chapter 2, Thinking Like an Engineer

1. Introduction
   Engineers can make decisions that affect thousands of people
   Practice analyzing and making ethical decisions daily, it will make the process easier when you are faced with a major decision
   
   2 reasons people make ethical decisions:
   Desire to make the world a better place for everyone (altruism)
   Desire to avoid unpleasant consequences
   
   The majority of ancient and modern societies have developed rules, laws, and regulations to specify unacceptable behavior and punishments for said behavior
   (going back to Code of Ur Nammu)
   
   Religions also establish codes of conduct
   
   
2. Ethical Decision Making
   
   No set of rules or algorithms that ensure the most ethical decision is being made in a situation
   
   The following four-step process guides people in considering questions with ethical aspects and consequences
   
   
3. The four step procedure with original (not from book) examples to illustrate your points

   
   

   Example: Nannies who give active children sleeping medicine/alcohol to calm them down.

   
   

   1. Determine what the issues are and who (stakeholders) might be affected by the various alternative courses of action that might be implemented.

   
   

   Issues:

   Giving drugs/alcohol to children on a regular or periodic basis

   Parental consent

   Health of children

   The responsibilities associated with being a nanny

   
   

   Stakeholders:

   Children and their physical and emotional health
   

   Parents

   Nannies

   Doctors

   
   2. Consider the effects of alternative courses of action from different perspectives.

   
   

   Perspective 1: Consequences (how does each alternative plan affect the different stakeholders)

   
   

   Children: Physical health/influence on body functions

   
   

   Legal ramifications depending on the substance used to sedate the child

   
   

   Substance abuse/dependence/withdrawal and corresponding treatment

   
   

   
   

   Perspective 2: Intent (intentions of the person doing the action in question)

   
   

   (a) Is the action I am taking something that I believe everyone should do?

   NO

   
   

   (b) Do I believe that this sort of behavior should be codified in law?

   NO 

   
   

   (c) Would I like to be on the receiving end (the victim) of this action? 

    NO

   
   

   Perspective 3: Character (attributes of the person considering the action)

   
   

   (a) Would a person of good character do this?

   NO

   
   

   (b) If I do this, does it enhance or degrade my character?

   YES, it will degrade my character and my ability to handle tough situations. Overactive children need extra attention, not induced sleep.

   
   

   (c) Would a person I revere as a person of unimpeachable character (whoever that might be) would take this action? 

   NO 

   
   3. Correlate perspectives. (Consider the results of the three perspectives and come to a conclusion; if no conclusion is apparent, reconsider the question in greater detail; if no conclusion is apparent still, go with 2/3 perspectives)

   
   4. Act. (Carry-out the necessary actions related to the conclusion reached in the previous step)
   If you are a nanny, do not use sleeping medicine/alcohol to calm an active child.

   
   

   "Do I have the courage to do what I know is right?"

   YES

   
   
4. The three perspectives (consequences, intent, and character discussed above)
   
   
5. Comment on each of the examples in 2.1 (your thoughts, not a repeat of textbook)
   
   Example 2-1: Consider the question of whether to allow further drilling for oil in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). List several issues and stakeholders.
   
   Issues:
   Gas prices
   Sustainable energy
   Disruption of the ecosystem
   Disruption of life for local residents
   Stock market
   
   Stakeholders:
   Oil companies
   Employees (local and foreign)
   Ecosystem organisms
   Foreign relations
   Stockholders in oil companies
   Local residents
   
   My ethical opinion:
   I am not an oil company or an environmentalist, but I know there are other areas to drill for oil instead of the National Wildlife Refuge. These should be considered as valid options since drilling in the ANWR may have negative effects on the local wildlife and residents.
   
   Example 2-2: Should all U.S. children be fingerprinted when entering kindergarten and again each third year of grade school (3, 6, 9, 12)? Identify the stakeholders and consequences.
   
   Stakeholders:
   Software companies and developers (database configuration)
   U.S. children and their families
   U.S. government
   U.S. law enforcement departments
   cyber hackers
   ink companies
   
   Consequences:
   Record of U.S. children
   Confidentiality precautions
   Risk of cyber hacking for info
   
   
   My ethical opinion:
   To be honest, I don't know enough about this situation to argue for or against it. What I do know is if this action is allowed, parents will have to be convinced this action is in their children's best interest.
   
   Example 2-3: Should you download music illegally over the Internet?
   
   My ethical opinion:
   No, it's stealing.
   
   Example 2-4: Your friends are deriding another student behind her back because she comes from a poor family and does not have good clothes.
   
   

   Do you:

   
   

   (a) Join in the criticism? NO

   
   

   (b) Ignore it, pretend it is not happening, or simply walk away? NO

   
   

   (c) Tell your friends that they are behaving badly and insist that they desist? YES

   
   

   - Would a person of good character do this? YES 

   
   

   - If I do this, does it enhance or degrade my character? ENHANCE MY CHARACTER, I will be standing up for my friend instead of allowing my friends' potential reactions to keep me from doing what I think is right.

   
   

   - Would a person I revere as a person of unimpeachable character (whoever that might be) would take this action?  YES

   
   Example 2-5: Your company has been granted a contract to develop the next generation of electronic cigarette, also known as "nicotine delivery system," and you have been assigned to the design team. Can you in good conscience contribute your expertise to this project.
   
   My ethical opinion:
   No, I cannot in good conscience contribute my expertise to this project. I do not endorse smoking. I will not work on projects that promote actions I do not promote in my own life. Someone else may feel passionately supportive about the actions of this project and I would rather they dedicate their time and efforts to this work. They would probably provide higher quality results due to their positive attitude towards this project than someone who feels negatively towards the project.
   
   
6. Plagiarism
   
   Plagiarism is presenting someone's work as your own.
   Plagiarism is regarded as academic dishonesty.
   If a work contains small phrases or instances of wordings similar to another source, it is most likely accidental.
   If a work contains several instances of such things, the probability of plagiarism is high.
   But it comes down to intent: Did you voluntarily copy a portion of someone else's work and present it as your own without giving them credit?
   
   
7. Engineering Creed

   I thought a direct quote of the creed from the book would be more effective than summarizing its tenants. Please find the creed below.

   
   

   

   
   

   I find it interesting that the final line of the Engineer's Creed says "In humility and with need for Divine Guidance..."
   

   This provides further evidence that engineers are collaborative to the core. They know they cannot succeed alone and they don't pretend otherwise.

   
   
8. Social Responsibility
   
   Engineers develop skills and have access to resources that allow them to solve technical problems; however, their work does not stop there. These skills and resources should be used to solve issues on a local or global scale. Solving problems and enhancing lives does not stop when engineers leave the office or lab.
   
   
9. In your opinion how do an Engineer’s ethics affect public safety

   
   The ethics of individual engineers affect their reasoning and decisions, which result in projects and goals that are designed to influence the life of the public.

   
   10.   Write about how all of this relates to “The Whole Life Concept”

   
   

   I don't remember discussing "The Whole Life Concept" but after a google search I found this paper written for an engineering class. The introduction explains that "The Whole Life Concept" is composed of four core principles: passion, impact, knowledge, and application.
   
   Ethics lends itself to these four principles.
   
   
   

   Passion: Ethical standings vary from person to person based on their experiences, beliefs, values, and biases. Ethical standings can be shared with an abundance of emotional energy.

   
   
   

   Impact: Ethics affect the way we act, think, and speak as individuals, which in turn affects the lives of those around us.

   
   

   Knowledge: We often use facts as evidence for our ethical standings. Ethical values influence the way we APPLY objective knowledge for various subjective purposes.

   
   

   Application: We apply our ethical standings in our daily lives by allowing them to dictate  where we go, what we do, what we wear, what we say, what we think, what we accept, what we reject, etc.

Notes-2 from Chapter 8, Thinking Like an Engineer

1. The Six Types of Energy and the Units used

   Type of Energy	Units	Explanation
   Work (W)	W = Fd	-Energy used by exerting a force (F) over a distance (d) -Measured in joules (J)  J = Nm      (1 Newton meter) -Alternative measurement: ft (lb_force)
   Potential Energy (PE)	PE = mgh	-type of work -moving a weight (force; mass times gravity) a vertical distance (height; h)
   Kinetic Energy (KE)	KE_translational = 1/2mv^2 KE_rotational = ½ I w^2 Total KE = KE_t + KE_r	-characteristic of an object in motion -KE translational: If a constant force is applied to an object then the object’s acceleration will remain constant as proven by F=ma and the object’s velocity will increase in consistent intervals -KE rotational: Rotating objects also have kinetic energy whether they move along a distance or not. EX) Bicycle wheel- when in motion it does not move a distance but it does rotate It is calculated using angular velocity (Greek letter omega; w) which is the object’s rotational speech given in units of radians per second and the moment of inertia (I) which depends on mass and geometry of object -Total KE equals KE translational and KE rotational values
   Thermal Energy	Q = mCT	-Heat (Q) -Thermal energy is associated with a change in temperature (T), the mass of an object (m) and the specific heat of the object (C). -Can be expressed in British thermal units (BTUs) and calories BTU:  “amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound-mass of water by one degree Fahrenheit” Calorie: “amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius”

2. Power

   Power (W)

   W = J/s

   -Power (watts; W) is described as energy (joules; J) per time (seconds; s) -Power is a rate -Alternative measurement: horsepower (hp); described as the power used to replace the work that can be completed by a horse EX) Running a mile in 5 minutes versus running a mile in 10 minutes Running a mile in 5 minutes will require you to produce energy in a smaller amount of time (comparatively more power is generated) Running a mile in 10 minutes will require you to produce the same amount of energy in a longer amount of time (comparatively less power is generated)
3. Electric Concepts (electric charge, electric current, voltage, electric resistance, electric power)
   
   
   

   Electrical Concept	Units	Explanation
   Electric Charge Symbol: (Q)	C = As	-In basic terms, electric charge is measured by the charge “e”      Proton e = +1      Electron e = -1 -More generally, electric charge in measured in coulombs (C)      C = Amperes * time in seconds      1 coulomb = the total      charge of 6.24 x 10^18      protons -Subatomic particles experience repulsive (like-charge) and attractive (opposite charge) forces as described by Coulomb’s Law which is a function of the charge of two objects and the distance between the charges (r)  -K_e is coulomb’s constant 9 x 10^9 N m^2 / C^2
   Electric Current Symbol: I	A = C/s	-movement of charges in a solid material -it is assumed that charges move from the negative terminal to the positive terminal -measured in amperes (A), which represent the movement of one coulomb (C) of charge past any given point per second (s) -circuit diagrams denote the direction of the charges
   Voltage Symbol: V	V = J/C	-a measure that quantifies the work required to move an electric charge in the vicinity of other electric charges -measured in volts (V) which equals 1 joule/ 1 coulomb or the energy required to move a coulomb of charge one place to another. The voltage between these two places in one volt.      W = Fd      W = QV -PE in voltage is evident when charges are surrounded by like charges -KE in voltage is evident when charges are surrounded by opposite charges -need to note assumed polarity of a voltage (which end of device is more positive); used to track whether energy is being stored or released
   Electrical Resistance Symbol: R	M = V/A	-measures how difficult it is to move charges through a material -measured in ohms (Greek letter omega; symbol won't show up so for our purposes the symbol is M) which is defined as one volt (V) per ampere (A) In other words, if a 1 volt battery was connected to a device having a resistance of one ohm, then one ampere of current would flow through the device. “Resistance relates the voltage across a device to the current through the device.” -Electric current travels through a substance -The voltage is the difference between the forces exerted on a charge from both ends of a device depending on the charge of each end of the device -related to current and voltage by Ohm’s Law -To maintain a constant current through a resistance requires a voltage proportional to the resistance -Current is inversely proportional to resistance. If voltage increases, current increases. If resistance increases, current decreases because the voltage has a harder time pushing the charges through the device.
   Electric Power Symbol: P	P = VI                (V=voltage) P = VA                  (V=volts) P = (J/C)*(C/s) P = J/s	-Measures energy released and stored in electrical charges due to voltage and current -Electrical power is a function of the work required to move an electrical charge in the vicinity of other charges (voltage; V) and the movement of charges in a solid material (amperes; A) -Electrical power is a rate

   
   
4. Discuss resistors
   
   
   Resistor: An object that has resistance to electrical current
   The electrical power that is stored in a resistor due to charges being near like charges is usually converted to heat.
   Equations that are used to solve for the amount of power absorbed by a resistor:
   P = VI = (IR) I = I^2R
   P = VI = V(V/R) = V^2/R
   Specifications: resistance and wattage
   
   
5. Discuss capacitors
   
   
   Formed by putting two conducting, low resistance plates close to one another, each with a wire connected to it, and separating them with an insulator that has extreme resistance
   When a current made of electrons is run through one of the two plates, electrons begin to build up on that plate because they cannot penetrate through the insulator material. The build up of electrons repels the negative charges on the opposite plate, which leaves an overall positive charge on the opposite plate. This gives the impression that the current has traveled through the insulator, but it hasn't. The charge stored in a capacitor is proportional to the voltage across it: Q = CV  
   C is a proportionality constant
   Referred to as capacitance (C)

   Measured in farads (F)

   units of F: coulombs per volt

   F = C/V

   If a capacitor stores a charge of one coulomb and the resulting voltage is one volt, then the capacitance is one farad. 

   
   The energy stored in a capacitor: E = 1/2CV^2 (formula similar to kinetic energy)
   Specifications: capacitance and maximum voltage
   
   6. Inductors
   
   Generally an inductor is simply a coil or wire
   If a current is run through a wire, it generates a magnetic field.
   If a wire is in an environment with a changing magnetic field, a current is induced in the wire. (This is really interesting. I kind of want to try to do this.)
   Inductors store energy in the form of magnetic fields
   If the source of a current pushing current through a wire is removed, the magnetic field will collapse. However, the collapsing of the magnetic field (changing magnetic field) induces a current.
   Inductance (L)
   

   Measured in henrys (H)

   H = Vs/A = M s = J/A^2

   Voltage across inductor:
   

   V = L (dI/dt)                (dI/dt) = rate of change of current 

   
   The energy stored in an inductor: 1/2LI^2 (formula similar to kinetic energy)
   Specifications: inductance and max current