What is Mechanical engineer: Definition and 97 Discussions

Mechanical engineering is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science to design, analyze, manufacture, and maintain mechanical systems. It is one of the oldest and broadest of the engineering branches.Mechanical engineering combines creativity, knowledge and analytical tools to complete the difficult task of shaping an idea into reality.
The mechanical engineering field requires an understanding of core areas including mechanics, dynamics, thermodynamics, materials science, structural analysis, and electricity. In addition to these core principles, mechanical engineers use tools such as computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), and product lifecycle management to design and analyze manufacturing plants, industrial equipment and machinery, heating and cooling systems, transport systems, aircraft, watercraft, robotics, medical devices, weapons, and others. It is the branch of engineering that involves the design, production, and operation of machinery.Mechanical engineering emerged as a field during the Industrial Revolution in Europe in the 18th century; however, its development can be traced back several thousand years around the world. In the 19th century, developments in physics led to the development of mechanical engineering science. The field has continually evolved to incorporate advancements; today mechanical engineers are pursuing developments in such areas as composites, mechatronics, and nanotechnology. It also overlaps with aerospace engineering, metallurgical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, manufacturing engineering, chemical engineering, industrial engineering, and other engineering disciplines to varying amounts. Mechanical engineers may also work in the field of biomedical engineering, specifically with biomechanics, transport phenomena, biomechatronics, bionanotechnology, and modelling of biological systems.

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  1. H

    Mechanical engineer, always dangerous around electricity...

    hello, I'm a retired mechanical engineer always puttering on something looking to expand my knowledge on electrical power and primarily home power generation in grid tied systems
  2. T

    Can Mechanical Engineers Keep Up with the Latest Research?

    Hello everyone, Mechanical Engineer from Greece, always trying to expand my academic horizons and keep up with research! Cheers
  3. D

    Shifting from Mechanical Engineer to Aerospace Engineer

    Hello, Has anyone here started out as a mechanical engineer and shifted to an aerospace engineer? How necessary is an aerospace engineering degree to get into that field? What are some of the barriers that would exist for a mechanical engineer and how would you best get into that field? I am...
  4. Jake Ng

    Mechanical Engineer Career. Short 3 question interview.

    I have an assignment for a class where I have to interview Mechanical Engineers. The questions are “Why did you choose this career?”, “Are you happy in this career?”, and “What advice would you give to someone who wanted to pursue this career?” I would appreciate it if someone could answer these...
  5. C

    How far can the person climb up the ladder before it starts sliding?

    Look on picture two for my equations, I’m pretty sure my first three equations are correct as it’s the same on the answer paper I got. Answer paper only shows the three equations and correct answer so I have no idea how they got to it. When I put the equations togheter And solve out ”h” i get...
  6. Roy S Ramirez

    How many O-rings would a mechanical engineer use here?

    Hello everybody! Happy 2019! I'm trying to design a mechanical face seal for the part shown below, and I'm struggling with the number of o-rings I'm supposed to use. There are two cavities (rings) for two different fluids. The liquid dynamic pressure for both the internal and external fluids is...
  7. S

    Passionate Mechanical Engineering Student Ready to Innovate: Welcome to PF!

    I'm a Mechanical Engineering student with passion for innovating design and development.
  8. vinicius0197

    Courses Mechanical Engineer switching to CS or Electrical

    I'm on a sticky situation right here. I have almost completed my third year of a mechanical engineering degree and I'm just now realizing that I would prefer working with embedded systems/software. This happened after I start toying around with an Arduino and learned C and Python for fun's sake...
  9. A

    Should I pursue this skill? (becoming a mechanical engineer)

    By my question I mean is this something that I should realistically consider a goal? A little about me, I'm currently a Senior in high school, well, at least I'm about to be because the school year hasn't begun yet. I'm really considering becoming a mechanical engineer because I love math and...
  10. rfranceschetti

    Engineering The relationship of a mechanical engineer with electricity

    Hi all, I have in mind that an engineering project tends to be quite "integrated", as in, it envolves different engineers. So, for instance, in order to build an aircraft, you need not only a mechanical engineer, but also an EE, Materials, managers, etc etc. So lots of teamwork. However, I'd...
  11. Rx7man

    Something every Mechanical Engineer should watch

    Here's a great video of what one guy has to say about what he learned at university.. He really hits the nail on the head.. My favourite point is with "safety factors".. If something failed under normal use, it's not because you chose a 1.2 safety factor instead of a 1.5 safety factor, it's...
  12. Septenary

    Engineering Mechanical Engineering with no maths?

    I'm 19 and I have a passion for cars. I'm thinking about pursuing a mechanical engineering degree & possibly creating a company in the future. There's one problem though; I didn't take algebra 2 or any maths after that (I had consumer math in hs). Is the math in mechanical engineering advanced...
  13. Neven

    Engineering Mechanical engineer to aerospace engineer?

    HI I am a bit early for a 16years old and already think about it maybe but , my dream is to go in the space , which type of engineer goes in space? And can i start from a mechanical engineer to a aerospace engineer ?
  14. S

    Need to interview a Mechanical Engineer

    I am a first-year Mechanical Engineering major at Cal Poly, and I need to interview a Mechanical Engineer for my Technical Writing class. If you have a few minutes and could answer these five questions, I would greatly appreciate it! What are common genres in the field of mechanical...
  15. KaelanSong

    Mechanical Engineer Needed for Interview: Urgent!

    One of classes needs me to interview an engineer with a degree of my same major (mechanical engr), preferably with 7+ years of experience in the field (we can lie about that, but deadlines are approaching and I've struck out everywhere), AND A BUSINESS CARD (used as proof to my professor that...
  16. R

    Mechanical Engineer vs. Computer Engineer

    Hello everyone, I am in my first year at University, and I have to choose what discipline to enter. I am passionate about designing, testing, and implementing various ways to solve problems, and I found I can do this in both disciplines just in different ways. From previous job experience, I...
  17. R

    Engineering Mechanical engineer but experience only in startups

    Hi, I am a mechanical engineer who has worked only in start-ups, for past 3 years. Main experience is Mechanical design CAD with bit of FEA. Problem is I want to move to a more traditional company. I had had an interview with one of the largest oil and gas company for role of design engineer in...
  18. D

    Engineering Physicist or Mechanical Engineer?

    Can anyone please tell me the benefits being a physicist or being Mechanical Engineer?
  19. T

    Other Mechanical Engineering, real-world adv. math applications?

    Currently pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and commonly ponder about how much of this semi-abstract math I will actually be using the workplace. I have heard real-world ME relies pretty heavily on linear algebra and differential equations. As far as advanced Calculus goes I...
  20. Eclair_de_XII

    Courses Should I become a mechanical engineer if I'm bad at physics?

    I just can't do this critical thinking thing. I can't think about what forces go where, and I get confused about the most basic physics concepts. It's just so damn hard. Even though I'm good at calculus, doesn't mean I'll necessarily be good at engineering, right? If this is only the tip of the...
  21. AmyForbis

    Engineering Mechanical Engineer Technologist Career

    Hey guys I have a question. I was interested in Mechanical Engineering however do to financial difficulties I decided to go with Mechanical Engineering Technology as a degree. I have a question concerning careers in Mechanical Engineering Technology. I went online and the internet stated the...
  22. M

    Masters in nuclear engineering

    Hi guys. I'm a mechanical engineer, due to graduate this year if everything goes according to plan. I'm considering doing a masters in nuclear engineering (first honours then masters of course). Now, I not sure how useful this will be, or even if it will be of any advantage at all. The work is...
  23. J

    Engineering Help with becoming a Mechanical engineer

    hi I'm Jonathon and i would love to get some support from someone who has a mechanical engineer degree. I'm a junior in high school recently i have pinpointed down what i think i what to be career wise and a mechanical engineer is something that i would love to do. I'm a hands on person that's...
  24. R

    How can engineering students connect and innovate through online communities?

    Hello! I'm currently a student for Mechanical Engineering major. I don't really know anybody, so I'm hoping to meet some cool people here. Let's innovate!
  25. D

    Courses to be taken for becoming a drilling engineer

    Hello, I have completed my bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering and will be joining for my masters degree in mechanical engineering shortly. I am planning to become a drilling engineer in the petroleum industry. So in order to achieve my goal, what are the recommended courses that i...
  26. S

    What is the flow through pipe in an open channel?

    I know this is easy but i need to know the flow velocity through a pipe reducing in diameter inside a canal. the water velocity is 3m/s water depth is 1.5 m the pipe is at the bottom inlet diameter 0.9m small reduced diameter 0.6m outlet diameter = 0.8m note: this is an open canal with...
  27. H

    Engineering Advice for a mechanical engineer turned mathematician?

    I graduated with a mechanical engineering degree in 2014 and I have had my job for a year now. I absolutely hate it, I am a manufacturing engineer, but I don't feel like I use the skills I learned at school at all, I have these little projects that I get do every once in a while but they never...
  28. James Agostino

    Professional Mechanical Engineer Interview

    Hello, I am a first year Mechanical Engineering student at Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, and I'm looking for a professional Mechanical Engineer to respond to these interview questions. I'm conducting interviews for my technical writing course this quarter, and would love to hear...
  29. L

    Engineering Jobs for mechanical engineer in the US

    Hello there, i am from brazil and i will be graduating in mechanical engineering next year. i really want to live outside brazil and i would go to US or australia. thus, i want to know how could i achieve that, in terms of diploma validation and what are the best areas of mechanical engineering...
  30. K

    Need help with more indepth beam theory?

    I have a project for a class and our goal is to design a beam using 1018 steel to achieve a certain deflection under one load and not fail under an even larger load. The design I have come up with is very similar to a cantilever beam, but is has a variable cross section. I have used the...
  31. U

    How can I better adjust myself to the American industry?

    Hello, I am a 3rd mechanical engineering major who is heavily interested into going into the nanotechnology field. I chose mechanical engineering because it is a very broad and powerful field. I have heavily interested in nanotechnology and I would love to pursue that field for a career...
  32. R

    Engineering Engineering & Physics Degrees: Salary Overview

    Hello, I'm currently in college and getting a bachelors degree in physics and engineering, I also might get a bachelors in math too. I was wondering how much money I would start off getting with those degrees together? I've seen how much engineers get and physicist but what if you have both? Thanks
  33. A

    Studying Aerospace Engineering: A High School Senior's Dilemma

    Hi, I'm a high school senior and I was planning on studying Aerospace Engineering but my local university doesn't have it so I was opting to study ME and then move to a bigger uni where they have AE so I can get my masters degree there. Is that a good idea? Plus where would I work after I get my...
  34. M

    Engineering I want to be a mechanical engineer, but I fear

    ...that I'm not smart enough. Yes, I know - hard work matters more than smarts. But I look at kids way younger than I am who are building things and have had a natural scientific curiosity, making physics for fun, doing differential equations since they were 8, etc. And I can't help but feel...
  35. T

    Programs Trouble deciding a major ME or MET

    I'm currently a second year sophomore in college. I've had my heart set on being a mechanical engineer for some time with wanting to design weapons ect... but recently I have really had some trouble with the pre classes right before you get into your major concentration classes. Calculus two has...
  36. D

    Mechanical Engineer Needed for Interview Please

    Well, here it goes again, I am a senior in high school and my english teacher has assigned my class a research paper with the topic being a job that we are interested in. My last post got deleted due to this sites rules, so does anyone know where I can find a mechanical engineer that I could...
  37. M

    Where can i get a mechanical engineer for prototype

    I need a prototype built. The main design I have sorted out but need the engineer to tweak it here and there. I've tried googling it and the results are top companies which are very expensive, is there anywhere I could find an individual who can do this work for me? Or would any of yiu guys...
  38. R

    Advice for a mechanical engineer wanting to be an electrical engineer

    Hello, I'm a first year student going into mechanical engineering at the university of Waterloo in Canada. I initially chose this because I really wanted to work either with satellites or nuclear power plants and my teachers advised that a mechanical engineering degree would net me easy...
  39. W

    Engineering Fresh Mechanical Engineer entering the pipeline installation industry

    Hi I'am a fresh graduate with a bachelors of engineering in mechanical engineering. During an interview for a job opportunity in crude oil pipeline installation, the interviewer warned me that if i got the job and entered this domain it will be really hard for me to enter another mechanical...
  40. S

    Should I be a Mechanical Engineer or a Chemical Engineer?

    Hey guys, I'm 16 this year and I've already decided to be an engineer. it's just i don't know what type i want to become. I am leaning towards mechanical engineering more because i heard you get to break things apart and assemble them. and it's the most diverse engineering branch. i...
  41. L

    Robotics and automated systems, is it useful to a mechanical engineer?

    Hi i just finished my first year of general engineering and am on a 4 month break. If there are any senior engineering students or engineers out there, I just want to know if its useful to take a two month course in embedded systems and microcontrollers. Thanks
  42. M

    Engineering Mechanical engineer vs. actuary

    hey pf! the title pretty much sums up my question: what are the differences between actuarial work and engineering? if you have experience OUTSIDE of academics, please share your insight, as i'd really appreciate it. my brief background: i have a double major in mathematics and economics...
  43. E

    Mechanical Engineer from Norway Seeks Help with Problem

    Hi, I'm a mechanical engineer from Norway who has an work related query. Please see the attached picture describing the problem. I'm trying to figure out how heigh mass 1 travels if mass 2 is quick released when being suspended in a spring. I'm also trying to figure out a the maximum...
  44. jdawg

    How to Think Like a Mechanical Engineer

    Hi! So I was hoping to hear from some mechanical engineers about what sort of things I should be doing to become a good engineer. Are there any books you could recommend to read or maybe some projects to do that would help me to start thinking more like an engineer? I feel like all the people in...
  45. Pattonias

    Has anyone started a business out of college as a mechanical engineer?

    I am starting a engineering business with some friends while I am still in college. I graduated this past December and I am now working on my Masters. I was curious if anyone else has had a similar experience and what technological field you were in. We are designing an automated welding machine...
  46. M

    Engineering How can a newly graduated mechanical engineer find job opportunities?

    Hey PF! I am a masters student in mechanical engineering, and I am doing really well. However, once I finish my thesis and graduate, what is the typical way to find a job. Are you head hunted or will I send out resumes? Should I talk with my advisers? My uncle works with Boeing and has...
  47. C

    Self Study for Physics for a mechanical engineer

    I am a mechanical engineer with 2 1/2years working experience. I have a Bachelor degree in Science (Mechanical Engineering). Physics is one of my favorite subject when I was in high school. Even though I already graduated from University, during my free time, I will self study Physics. I have an...
  48. 8

    Mechanical Engineer with a decent pGRE

    Hi all, I've got a question about PhD programs: I have a BS in Mechanical Engineering, good GPA, and have been working for 4 years since. I will have strong rec's and plan to mostly apply to Materials Science and Engineering PhD programs. I did take the pGRE this spring and scored an 850...
  49. H

    Mechanical engineer to physicist/mathematician

    Hi: As graduation approaches, I would like to evaluate my strength, weakness and interest in engineering as well as other fields. Well , to begin with, I would like to address that I will be getting my B.S in mechanical engineering, specializing in mechatronics. But as I have...
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