Do engineers working on high-tech applications make approximations?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the role of approximations in engineering, particularly in high-tech applications. Participants explore whether analytical models used in engineering inherently involve simplifications and how this relates to the accuracy of physical laws and measurements.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that analytical models in engineering typically involve approximations or simplifications, especially when certain factors are deemed negligible.
  • Others argue that everything in physics and engineering is fundamentally an approximation, raising questions about the nature of modern physics theories and their status as approximations or fundamental truths.
  • One participant emphasizes that physical parameters cannot be measured exactly, leading to the conclusion that nothing is truly exact in measurements or physical laws.
  • Another viewpoint highlights that engineering involves trade-offs and that the necessity for accuracy in approximations varies depending on the specific application and its requirements.
  • Some participants note that while classical theories may be exact, modern theories often incorporate approximations, such as renormalization in quantum field theory.
  • There is mention of the importance of determining the required level of modeling accuracy in engineering, particularly in high-tech fields like satellite power supplies and laser technology.
  • A participant points out that while specifications in high-tech applications may have smaller deviations, they still cannot achieve exactness.
  • It is noted that while mathematical problems can be framed to yield exact values, they are often constrained by simplifying assumptions.
  • One participant quotes an engineering professor, stating that "Engineering is the art of approximation," suggesting that striving for perfection may not be practical or necessary in engineering.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the nature of approximations in engineering and physics. While there is some consensus that approximations are a fundamental aspect of both fields, the discussion remains unresolved regarding the implications of these approximations and the extent to which they apply in high-tech applications.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations in measurement accuracy and the complexities of modern physics theories, indicating that the discussion is influenced by these unresolved issues.

  • #31
DaveE said:
Hmm, are we done here?
You asked a simple question and got a bunch of very similar answers from experienced engineers. What's the point? You don't have to believe us, do it your way.
I didn't question whether what you wrote was true. I said in my post "Alright, so it is true in EE. I wonder if this holds for mechanical engineering as well" since you mentioned you're an EE
 
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  • #32
@EddiePhys
Have you considered the study of pure mathematics, or maybe entering a monastery?
 
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  • #33
EddiePhys said:
I didn't question whether what you wrote was true. I said in my post "Alright, so it is true in EE. I wonder if this holds for mechanical engineering as well" since you mentioned you're an EE
It's true for all engineering disciplines. Also most of science.
The question "do we approximate things" is too simple to be interesting. It's time to graduate to how, when, and why we make approximations.
I'm done.
 

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