Math .Mechanical Engineers: Math Used & Work Explained

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SUMMARY

Mechanical engineers, particularly those in medical device design, utilize algebra, trigonometry, and discrete math daily. Their work involves prototyping, testing, and extensive documentation due to regulatory requirements from bodies like the FDA, GMED, and PMDA. The discussion highlights the diverse applications of mathematics in mechanical engineering and emphasizes the importance of documentation in the medical field.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of algebra and trigonometry
  • Familiarity with discrete mathematics
  • Knowledge of regulatory standards in medical device engineering
  • Experience with project management and documentation processes
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the role of FDA regulations in medical device design
  • Explore advanced applications of statistics in engineering
  • Learn about project management tools for engineering teams
  • Investigate the impact of documentation on engineering workflows
USEFUL FOR

Mechanical engineers, medical device designers, project managers in engineering, and anyone interested in the mathematical applications within engineering disciplines.

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For engineers, specifically Mechanical engineers, what kind of math do you use daily and why? Could you also state what kind of work you do.

Thanks a lot

If you do some other engineering work I would not mind to hear from you as well
 
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It would be helpful if you hint as to what you hope to actually get out of this question. Mechanical engineering is a huge area, there will be applications of many more math topics than you've even heard of.
 
Ok.. What is a regular day in an engineers life?
 
I will answer both questions. I work as a medical device design engineer. This position is often filled by mechanical engineers, but you find ChemEs, and the occasional odd physicist like me. The math I use on a regular basis is algebra, trig, and simple discrete math. The statistics I do are moderately complicated, but nothing to base your dissertation on.

At typical day for me will involve a short spurt of prototyping or testing, several hours of meetings or phonecalls or otherwise attempting to keep track of the state of the project, and several hours of completing required documentation. My field is documentation heavy because of the regulatory bodies that oversee my work, such as the FDA, GMED, and the PMDA. Other kinds of engineers will typically spend much less time on paperwork than me.
 
For some background, I'm currently a 3rd year physics major with an astro specialization studying in Canada, and as undergraduates are want to do I'm regularly evaluating my career prospects down the road. I also plan on pursuing grad school when I've completed my degree. It might just be my anxiety acting up a little, but with a lot of the government funding drying up for public science research broadly in the US, the 'industry' everyone keeps talking about when questions like this are...

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