The Differences Between Physicists and Engineers

[brewnog]

It's even worse over here. The word "engineer" isn't even protected by law, so every other car mechanic and washing machine repair chap calls themself 'engineer', and can legitimately get away with it. The professional engineering institutions are (half-arsedly) trying to get the word "engineer" protected, but for now I think we have to stick with professional qualifications and memberships (IEng, CEng, EurIng etc) in order to get the recognition we deserve.

I'm back for good, by the way! Woo!

 

[Lisa!]

WElcome back!

 

[russ_watters]

In my situation, it doesn't really do anything for me. We don't use PE's. That means I have never worked for one (which is a requirement) and I don't know 3 others for letters of reference. It kinda makes it tough to enter the fray so to speak.

It only really helps for the building industry (or to decorate the end of your name). My dad has two engineering degrees but never had a reason to go for a PE.

 

[FredGarvin]

I think I would just like to go through the torture to just simply prove something to myself. I'm not losing sleep over it, but it's on the "to do" list before I retire.

Welcome Back Brews! Fill us in on the goings on when you get a chance.

 

[Nomy-the wanderer]

It's pretty much the same here, any technician would call himself an engineer,the most irritatting fact is that sometimes people like a neighbour for ex. who hadn't completed his education after high school and therefore he's titleless(titles like professor, doctor, engineer, lawyer.bla bla bkla) calls himself an engineer although he's a business man who works on imports and exports, so i donno what the title engineer has added to him, but I'm sick of it..
Here's another difference between physicists and engineers, no one would call himself a physicist, at least notr as mucha s people call themselves engineers, a physicist will never be annoyed by tht fact...

 

[kant]

Anyone can speak out of their arse...

well, i am not sure what hell is in your arse.

 

[Astronuc]

Yes, that's it...why is it that engineers can't write in cursive? But when it comes to printing, I think most scientists have pretty meticulous writing; maybe not when jotting out a letter to a friend, but you know you need to print legibly and keep everything tidy or you risk losing that decimal point somewhere and someone could die!

Like brewnog, my handwriting is atrocious - I simply can't write neatly because I can't write faster than I think. So most of time my writting is more like scribbling - and sometime even I can't read it! I should have taken 'shorthand'.

Reading back through the posts - I would have to say the differences between engineers and physicists, in general, may be superficial, but it also depends on they type of engineering/physics or field.

In nuclear engineering, we have a lot of nuclear physics and reactor (or neutron) physics. In that sense, nuclear engineering is a hybrid of engineering and physics.

As a nuclear engineer, one also studies electrical engineering, materials science, mechanical engineering (thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, corrosion), possibly chemical engineering, in addition to the core nuclear physics and engineering courses.

Nuclear engineers involved in shielding and radiation protection will get heavily involved in the interaction of radiation and materials, and some will become involved in the instrumentation, which combines physics and electrical engineering.

Nuclear engineers interested in fusion engineering would probably want to take courses in plasma physics.

In the modeling I do, I combine various aspects of physics, chemistry (electrochemistry, corrosion), materials science, and mechanical engineering to develop complex models of how fuel and structural materials respond in the nuclear environment. I read particular engineering and physics journals regarding applicable theories related to material behavior down to the atomic level (necessary for understanding things like thermal conductivity as its affected by composition and lattice structure over a range of temperatures from 300K-3000+ K, or micromechanics related to structural integrity (crack initiation and extension)). My group consults on experiments, we predict material behavior (predictive analysis), and we test our models against the experimental results.

So in a sense, my work is primarily both engineering and applied physics.

 

[Lisa!]

Thanks Astronuc! Good info. about NE.
I guess I should forget all about it.

PS I'm very good at reading bad handwritings. So I might be able to help you to read what you've written! But you should wait till I become fluent in En.

Here's another difference between physicists and engineers, no one would call himself a physicist, at least notr as mucha s people call themselves engineers, a physicist will never be annoyed by tht fact...

Even me who has a BS degree in physics, am afraid of calling myself a physicist! And you know I can't stop laughing when someone calls me a physicist.
And some people think that physicist = engineer, so they simply call me "engineer".