Differences between Engineering and Physics?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the distinctions and overlaps between engineering and physics, particularly at advanced levels in STEM fields. Participants explore the roles of different professionals in large projects like the Large Hadron Collider, questioning how these roles intersect and influence decisions regarding academic majors.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes that at advanced levels, engineering and physics seem to blend, citing the Large Hadron Collider as an example where physicists, engineers, and computer scientists collaborate.
  • Another participant suggests that large projects are executed by diverse teams, with work divided according to specialization, implying that while collaboration occurs, distinct roles remain.
  • A different viewpoint mentions that some engineers transition into administrative roles, which may contribute to the perception of blending between fields.
  • One participant encourages using the forum's search tool to find previous discussions on the topic, indicating that this is a recurring question.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on whether engineering and physics truly blend at advanced levels. Some argue for a clear distinction in roles, while others highlight the collaborative nature of large projects.

Contextual Notes

The discussion does not resolve the complexities of defining the boundaries between engineering and physics, nor does it clarify the specific contributions of each discipline to projects like the Large Hadron Collider.

Toblerone1496
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It seems like once you get to the upper levels engineering and physics start to blend together. For example, think of the Large Hadron Collider.

The people that worked on the Higgs Boson theory were definitely physicists but what about everything else? Were the people who actually designed the Collider engineers or physicists? How about the system used to detect the presence of the particle? Was that created by physicists, engineers, or computer scientists?

All of STEM seems to blend together at the advanced level which makes it hard for me to decide on a major. Can anyone offer some explanations that could help?
 
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Toblerone1496 said:
It seems like once you get to the upper levels engineering and physics start to blend together. For example, think of the Large Hadron Collider.

The people that worked on the Higgs Boson theory were definitely physicists but what about everything else? Were the people who actually designed the Collider engineers or physicists? How about the system used to detect the presence of the particle? Was that created by physicists, engineers, or computer scientists?

All of STEM seems to blend together at the advanced level which makes it hard for me to decide on a major. Can anyone offer some explanations that could help?

All of the above. The tracker was made by a very large team comprised of physicists, engineers, computer scientists, and technicians.

Large projects are built by large groups. The work is partitioned such that people are primarily working in their field of specialization. At the interfaces it helps to have at least a little knowledge of other fields but I disagree that physics and engineering blends at the highest level.
 
Toblerone1496 said:
It seems like once you get to the upper levels engineering and physics start to blend together. For example, think of the Large Hadron Collider.

The people that worked on the Higgs Boson theory were definitely physicists but what about everything else? Were the people who actually designed the Collider engineers or physicists? How about the system used to detect the presence of the particle? Was that created by physicists, engineers, or computer scientists?

All of STEM seems to blend together at the advanced level which makes it hard for me to decide on a major. Can anyone offer some explanations that could help?

Some engineers become administrators and managers. This is why the very different types of skilled people seem to blend. Someone is coordinating, administrating them.
 

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