Glossary of engineering

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This glossary of engineering terms is a list of definitions about the major concepts of engineering. Please see the bottom of the page for glossaries of specific fields of engineering.

A

Absolute electrode potential: .
Absolute motion: .
Absolute pressure: Pressure measured in reference to a vacuum
Absolute zero: The coldest possible temperature, at which all molecular vibration stops; −273.15 °C (−459.67° Fahrenheit).
Absorbance: .
AC power: Electric power delivered by alternating current; common household power is AC.
Acceleration: The rate at which the velocity of a body changes with time, and the direction in which that change is acting.
Acid: .
Acid-base reaction: .
Acid strength: In strong acids, most of the molecules give up a hydrogen ion and become ionized.
Acoustics: The scientific study of sound.
Activated sludge: .
Activated sludge model: .
Active transport: Transportation of people by walking, cycling, or other human=-powered methods.
Actuator: The final element of a control loop, that translates control signals into a physical output movement.
Adenosine triphosphate: .
Adhesion: .
Adiabatic process: A process where no heat energy is lost to outside space.
Adiabatic wall: A barrier through which heat energy cannot pass.
Aerobic digestion: .
Aerodynamics: .
Aerospace engineering: .
Afocal system: .
Agricultural engineering: The profession of designing machinery, processes, and systems for use in agriculture.
Albedo: A measure of the fraction of light reflected from an astronomical body or other object.
Alkane: .
Alkene: .
Alkyne: .
Alloy: .
Alpha particle: .
Alternating current: Electrical current that regularly reverses direction.
Alternative hypothesis: .
Ammeter: An instrument that measures current.
Amino acid: .
Amorphous solid: .
Ampere: The SI unit of current flow, one coulomb per second.
Amphoterism: .
Amplifier: A device that replicates a signal with increased power.
Amplitude: .
Anaerobic digestion: .
Angular acceleration: .
Angular momentum: .
Angular velocity: .
Anion: .
Annealing (metallurgy): A heat treatment process that relieves internal stresses.
Annihilation: .
Anode: The electrode at which current enters a device such as an electrochemical cell or vacuum tube.
ANSI: American National Standards Institute.
Antigravity: .
Applied engineering: .
Applied mathematics: Mathematics used for solutions of practical problems, as opposed to pure mathematics.
Arc length: .
Archimedes' principle: .
Area moment of inertia: .
Arithmetic mean: .
Arithmetic sequence: .
Aromatic hydrocarbon: .
Arrhenius equation: .
Artificial intelligence: The intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it..
Assembly language: A computer programming language where most statements correspond to one or a few machine op-codes.
Atomic orbital: .
Atomic packing factor: The percentage of the volume filled with atomic mass in a crystal formation.
Audio frequency: .
Austenitization: .
Automation: .
Automaton: An early self-operating robot, performing exactly the same actions, over and over..
Autonomous vehicle: A vehicle capable of driving from one point to another without input from a human operator.
Azimuthal quantum number: .

B

Barometer: A device for measuring pressure.
Battery: Electrochemical cells that transform chemical energy into electricity..
Base: .
Baud: Rate at which data is transferred in symbols/second; a symbol may represent one or more bits.
Beam: A structural element whose length is significantly greater than its width or height.
Beer–Lambert law: .
Belt: A closed loop of flexible material used to transmit mechancial power from one pulley to another.
Belt friction: .
Bending: .
Benefit–cost analysis: .
Bending moment: The product of bending force and distance, measured in units of length * distance..
Bernoulli differential equation: .
Bernoulli's equation: An equation for relating several measurements within a fluid flow, such as velocity, pressure, and potential energy.
Bernoulli's principle: .
Beta particle: .
Binomial random variable: .
Biocatalysis: .
Biomedical engineering: .
Biomimetic: .
Bionics: The application of biological methods to engineering systems.
Biophysics: .
Biot number: .
Block and tackle: A system of pulleys and a rope threaded between them, used to lift or pull heavy loads.
Body force: .
Boiler: A device whose purpose is to add heat to a working fluid to vaporise it..
Boiler (power generation): A boiler used in a power plant for electricity or propulsion.
Boiling point: The state at which a substance becomes gaseous.
Boiling-point elevation: .
Boltzmann constant: .
Boson: .
Boyle's law: .
Bravais lattice: .
Brayton cycle: A thermodynamic cycle model for an ideal heat engine, in which heat is added or removed at constant pressure; approximated by a gas turbine.
Break-even analysis: .
Brewster's angle: .
Brittle: .
Bromide: Any chemical substance made up of Bromine, along with other elements.
Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory: .
Brownian motion: .
Buckingham π theorem: A method for determining ∏ groups, or dimensionless descriptors of physical phenomena.
Buffer solution: .
Bulk modulus: .
Buoyancy: A force caused by displacement in a fluid by an object of different density than the fluid.

C

Calculus: The mathematics of change.
Capacitance: The ability of a body to store electrical charge.
Capacitive reactance: The impedance of a capacitor in an alternating current circuit, the opposition to current flow.
Capacitor: An electrical component that stores energy in an electric field.
Capillarity: .
Carbonate: Any mineral with bound carbon dioxide.
Carnot cycle: A hypothetical thermodynamic cycle for a heat engine; no thermodynamic cycle can be more efficient than a Carnot cycle operating between the same two temperature limits.
Cartesian coordinates: Coordinates within a rectangular Cartesian plane.
Castigliano's method: .
Casting: Forming of an object by pouring molten metal (or other substances) into a mold.
Cathode: The terminal of a device by which current exits.
Cathode ray: The stream of electrons emitted from a heated negative electrode and attracted to a positive electrode.
Cell membrane: .
Cell nucleus: .
Cell theory: .
Center of gravity: The center of mas of an object, its balance point.
Center of mass: The weighted center of an object; a force applied through the center of mass will not cause rotation of the object.
Center of pressure: .
Central force motion: .
Central limit theorem: .
Central processing unit: .
Centripetal acceleration: .
Centripetal force: A force acting against rotational acceleration.
Centroid: The average point of volume for an object.
Centrosome: .
Chain reaction: .
Change of base rule: .
Charles's law: .
Chemical bond: .
Chemical compound: .
Chemical equilibrium: .
Chemical kinetics: .
Chemical reaction: .
Chemistry: .
Chloride: Any chemical compound containing the element chlorine.
Chromate: .
Circular motion: .
Civil engineering: The profession that deals with the design and construction of structures, or other fixed works.
Clausius–Clapeyron relation: .
Clausius inequality: .
Clausius theorem: .
Coefficient of performance: .
Coefficient of variation: .
Coherence: .
Cohesion: .
Combustion: .
Compensation: .
Compiler: A computer program that translates a high-level language into machine language.
Compressive strength: .
Computational fluid dynamics: The numerical solution of flow equations in practical problems such as aircraft design or hydraulic structures.
Computer: .
Computer-aided design: .
Computer-aided engineering: .
Computer-aided manufacturing: .
Computer engineering: .
Computer science: .
Concave lens: .
Condensed matter physics: .
Confidence interval: .
Conjugate acid: .
Conjugate base: .
Conservation of energy: .
Conservation of mass: .
Continuity equation: .
Continuum mechanics: .
Control systems engineering: .
Convex lens: .
Corrosion: .
Cosmic rays: .
Coulomb: .
Coulomb's law: .
Covalent bond: .
Crookes tube: A type of vacuum tube that demonstrates cathode rays.
Cryogenics: The science of low temperatures.
Crystallization: .
Crystallography: The study of crystals.
Curvilinear motion: .
Cyclotron: A subatomic particle accelerator using fixed magnets to direct particles into a spiral path.

D

Dalton's law: .
Damped vibration: Any vibration with a force acting against it to lessen the vibration over time.
Darcy–Weisbach equation: An equation used in fluid mechanics to find the pressure change cause by friction within a pipe or conduit.
DC motor: An electrical motor driven by direct current.
Decibel: A logarithmic unit of ratios.
Definite integral: .
Deflection: .
Deformation (engineering): .
Deformation (mechanics): .
Degrees of freedom: The number of parameters required to define the motion of a dynamical system.
Delta robot: A tripod linkage, used to construct fast-acting manipulators with a wide range of movement.
Delta-wye transformer: A type of transformer used in three-phase power systems.
De Moivre–Laplace theorem: .
Density: The amount of mass in a given unit of volume.
Derivative: .
Design engineering: .
Dew point: The pressure and temperature at which air is holding the maximum possible humidity.
Diamagnetism: .
Dielectric: An insulator, a material that does not permit free flow of electricity.
Differential pressure: .
Differential pulley: .
Differential signaling: .
Diffusion: .
Dimensional analysis: .
Direct integration of a beam: .
Dispersion: .
Displacement (fluid): .
Displacement (vector): .
Distance: .
Doppler effect: .
Dose–response relationship: .
Drag: .
Drift current: .
Ductility: .
Dynamics: .
Dyne: The CGS unit of force.

E

Economics: The scientific study of the production, distribution and consumption of goods.
Effusion: .
Elastic modulus: The amount a material will deform per unit force.
Elasticity: .
Electric charge: .
Electric circuit: .
Electric current: .
Electric displacement field: .
Electric generator: .
Electric field: .
Electric field gradient: .
Electric motor: .
Electric potential: .
Electrical potential energy: .
Electric power: .
Electrical and electronics engineering: .
Electrical conductance: .
Electrical conductor: .
Electrical impedance: .
Electrical insulator: .
Electrical network: .
Electrical resistance: .
Electricity: .
Electrodynamics: .
Electromagnet: .
Electromagnetic field: .
Electromagnetic radiation: .
Electromechanics: .
Electron: .
Electronvolt: .
Electron pair: .
Electronegativity: .
Electronics: .
Elemental analysis: .
Endothermic: A reaction which requires the absorption of heat.
Energy: .
Engine: .
Engineering: .
Engineering economics: .
Engineering ethics: .
Environmental engineering: .
Engineering physics: .
Enzyme: .
Escape velocity: The minimum velocity at which an object can escape a gravitation field..
Estimator: .
Euler–Bernoulli beam equation: .
Exothermic: A reaction which produces heat.

F

Factor of safety: .
Falling bodies: .
Farad: The SI unit of capacitance.
Faraday: .
Faraday constant: .
Fermat's principle: .
Fick's laws of diffusion: .
Finite element method: .
FIRST: For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology – is an organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen in 1989 to develop ways to inspire students in engineering and technology fields.
Fission: .
Fixed capacitor: .
Fixed inductor: .
Fixed resistor: .
Flow velocity: .
Fluid: .
Fluid dynamics: .
Fluid mechanics: .
Fluid physics: .
Fluid statics: .
Flywheel: .
Focus: .
Foot-pound: In the systems that use feet, the unit of work.
Fracture toughness: .
Fraunhofer lines: .
Free fall: .
Frequency modulation: .
Freezing point: .
Friction: .
Function: .
Fundamental frequency: .
Fundamental interaction: .
Fundamental theorem of calculus: .
Fundamentals of Engineering Examination (US): .
Fusion: .

G

Galvanic cell: .
Gamma rays: .
Gas: .
Gauge pressure: .
Geiger counter: A device that measures radioactivity.
General relativity: .
Geometric mean: .
Geometry: .
Geophysics: .
Geotechnical engineering: .
Gluon: .
Graham's law of diffusion: .
Gravitation: .
Gravitational constant: .
Gravitational energy: .
Gravitational field: .
Gravitational potential: .
Gravitational wave: .
Gravity: .
Ground state: .

H

Half-life: The period at which one-half of a quantity of an unstable isotope has decayed into other elements; the time at which half of a substance has diffused out of or otherwise reacted in a system.
Haptic: Tactile feedback technology using the operator's sense of touch. Also sometimes applied to robot manipulators with their own touch sensitivity.
Hardness: .
Harmonic mean: .
Heat: The energy of molecular vibration.
Heat transfer: .
Helmholtz free energy: .
Henderson–Hasselbalch equation: .
Henry's law: .
Hertz: The SI unit of frequency, one cycle per second.
Hexapod: (platform) – a movable platform using six linear actuators. Often used in flight simulators they also have applications as a robotic manipulator.
Hexapod: (walker) – a six-legged walking robot, using a simple insect-like locomotion.
Hoist: .
Horsepower: In measurement systems that use feet, the unit of power.
Huygens–Fresnel principle: .
Hydraulics: The study of fluid flow, or the generation of mechanical force and movement by liquid under pressure.
Hydrocarbon: A compound containing hydrogen and carbon atoms only; petroleum is made of hydrocarbons.

I

Ice point: .
Ideal gas: A model for gases that ignores inter-molecular forces. Most gases are approximately ideal at some high temperature and low pressure.
Ideal gas constant: The constant in the gas law that relates pressure, volume and temperature.
Ideal gas law: An equation defining behavior of an ideal gas.
Indefinite integral: .
Identity: .
Impedance (electrical): .
Inertia: .
Infrasound: .
Integral: .
Integral transform: .
International System of Units: .
Interval estimation: .
Ion: .
Ionic bond: .
Ionization: .
Impedance: The measure of the opposition that a circuit presents to the passage of a current when a voltage is applied.
Inclined plane: .
Inductance: .
Inductor: .
Industrial engineering: .
Inorganic chemistry: .
Isotope: .

J

Joule: The SI unit of energy.
Joule heating: .

K

Kalman filter: A mathematical technique to estimate the value of a sensor measurement, from a series of intermittent and noisy values.
Kelvin: The SI scale for temperature relative to absolute zero.
Kelvin–Planck statement: .
Kinematics: .

L

Laminar flow: .
Laplace transform: .
LC circuit: A circuit consisting entirely of inductors (L) and capacitors (C).
Le Chatelier's principle: .
Lenz's law: .
Lepton: .
Lever: .
L'Hôpital's rule: .
Light: .
Linear actuator: A form of motor that generates a linear movement directly.
Linear algebra: The mathematics of equations where the unknowns are only in the first power.
Linear elasticity: .
Liquid: .
Logarithm: .
Logarithmic identities: .
Logarithmic mean temperature difference: .
Lumped capacitance model: .
Lumped element model: .

M

Macaulay's method: .
Mach number: The ratio of the speed of an object to the speed of sound..
Machine: .
Machine code: .
Machine element: .
Machine learning: .
Maclaurin series: .
Magnetic field: .
Magnetism: .
Manufacturing engineering: .
Mass balance: .
Mass density: .
Mass moment of inertia: .
Mass number: .
Mass spectrometry: .
Material failure theory: .
Material properties: .
Materials science: .
Mathematical optimization: .
Mathematical physics: .
Mathematics: .
Matrix: .
Matter: .
Maximum-distortion energy theory: .
Maximum-normal-stress theory: .
Maximum shear stress: .
Maxwell's equations: A number of basic laws describing the behavior of electric current and potential.
Mean: .
Measures of central tendency: .
Mechanical advantage: .
Mechanical engineering: .
Mechanical filter: .
Mechanical wave: .
Mechanics: .
Mechanism: .
Median: .
Melting: .
Melting point: .
Meson: .
Metal alloy: .
Metallic bond: .
Mid-range: .
Midhinge: .
Mining engineering: .
Miller indices: .
Mobile robot: .
Mode: .
Modulus of elasticity: .
Mohr's circle: A graphical method of analyzing the three-dimensional stresses in a system that has a loading force applied to it.
Molality: .
Molar concentration: .
Molar absorptivity: .
Molar mass: .
Molarity: .
Molding: .
Molecule: .
Molecular physics: .
Moment of inertia: .
Multibody system: .
Multidisciplinary design optimization: .
Mutual inductance: .
Muon: .

N

Nanoengineering: .
Nanotechnology: The technology of systems built with moving parts on the order of a nanometre in size.
Navier–Stokes equations: .
Neutrino: A neutral particle.
Newtonian fluid: .
Norton's theorem: .
Nozzle: .
nth root: To put a number of function to the exponential power of 1/n.
Nuclear binding energy: Teh difference between the total mass energy of a nucleus and the mass energy of the isolated nucleons.
Nuclear engineering: The profession that deals with nuclear power.
Nuclear physics: The science that describes the components of atoms.
Nuclear potential energy: The energy that is given up in decay of an unstable nucleus.
Nuclear power: The use of energy derived from nuclear chain reactions for electricity production or ship propulsion.

O

Ohm: The SI unit of electrical resistance.
Ohm's law: A law describing the relationship between resistance, current, and voltage.
Optics: The study of light.
Organic chemistry: The study of carbon compounds.
Osmosis: The spontaneous movement of molecules or ions through a semi-permable membrane, tending to equalize concentration on both sides.

P

Parallel circuit: A circuit that begins and ends at the same node as another circuit.
Parity (mathematics): .
Parity (physics): .
Paraffin: A hydrocarbon compound, solid at room temperature.
Paramagnetism: .
Particle accelerator: .
Particle displacement: .
Particle physics: .
Pascal's law: .
Pendulum: .
Petroleum engineering: .
pH: A logarithmic measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions in an acid or base solution.
Phase (matter): .
Phase (waves): .
Phase diagram: .
Phase equilibrium: .
Photon: A particle with no rest mass that carries electromagnetic energy.
Physical chemistry: .
Physical quantity: .
Physics: .
Planck constant: .
Plasma physics: .
Plasticity: .
Pneumatics: The control of mechanical force and movement, generated by the application of compressed gas.
Point estimation: .
Polyphase system: An electrical system that uses a set of alternating currents at different phases.
Power (electric): .
Power (physics): .
Power factor: .
Pressure: The force per unit area .
Probability: .
Probability distribution: .
Probability theory: .
Psi particle: .
Pulley: .
Pump: .

Q

Quantum electrodynamics: .
Quantum field theory: .
Quantum mechanics: .
Quantum physics: .

R

Regelation: The phenomena of melting under pressure, then freezing when the pressure is reduced.
Relative density: .
Relative velocity: .
Reliability engineering: .
Resistivity: .
Resistor: .
Reynolds number: .
Rheology: .
Rigid body: .
Robonaut: A development project conducted by NASA to create humanoid robots capable of using space tools and working in similar environments to suited astronauts..
Robotics: .
Root-mean-square: .
Root-mean-square speed: .
Rotational energy: .
Rotational speed: .

S

Safety data sheet: .
Sanitary engineering: .
Saturation (chemistry): .
Saturated compound: .
Scalar (mathematics): .
Scalar (physics): .
Scalar multiplication: .
Screw: .
Series circuit: An electrical circuit in which the same current passes through each component, with only one path.
Servo: A motor that moves to and maintains a set position under command, rather than continuously moving.
Servomechanism: An automatic device that uses error-sensing negative feedback to correct the performance of a mechanism.
Shadow matter: .
Shear flow: .
Shear strength: .
Shear stress: .
Shortwave radiation: .
SI units: .
Signal processing: .
Simple machine: A mechanical device that changes the direction or magnitude of a force.
Siphon: A closed tube that conveys liquids between two levels without pumping.
Solid mechanics: .
Solid-state physics: .
Solid solution strengthening: .
Solubility: .
Solubility equilibrium: .
Sound: .
Special relativity: .
Specific heat: The amount of energy required to change the temperature of a unit mass of substance by one degree.
Specific gravity: The ratio between the mass density of a substance to that of water.
Specific volume: The volume of a unit mass of a substance.
Specific weight: The weight of a substance per unit volume.
Spontaneous combustion: .
Stagnation pressure: .
Standard electrode potential: .
State of matter: .
Statics: The study of forces in a non-moving, rigid body.
Statistics: .
Steam table: .
Stefan–Boltzmann law: .
Stewart platform: a movable platform using six linear actuators, hence also known as a Hexapod.
Stiffness: .
Stoichiometry: .
Strain: .
Strain hardening: .
Strength of materials: .
Stress: .
Stress–strain analysis: .
Stress–strain curve: .
Structural analysis: .
Structural load: .
Sublimation: .
Subsumption architecture: a robot architecture that uses a modular, bottom-up design beginning with the least complex behavioral tasks.
Surface tension: .
Superconductor: .
Superhard material: .
Supersaturation: .
Surgical robot: a remote manipulator used for keyhole surgery.

T

Tangential acceleration: .
Technical standard: .
Temperature: The measure of heat energy in an object or fluid.
Tempering (metallurgy): Heat treatment to alter the crystal structure of a metal such as steel.
Tensile force: Pulling force, tending to lengthen an object.
Tensile modulus: .
Tensile strength: .
Tensile testing: .
Tension member: .
Thermal conduction: .
Thermal equilibrium: .
Thermal radiation: .
Thermodynamics: The science of the flow of heat.
Theory of relativity: .
Thévenin's theorem: .
Three-phase: Electric power using three alternating currents, displaced in time.
Torque: Twisting force.
Torsional vibration: .
Toughness: .
Trajectory: .
Transducer: .
Transformer: .
Trigonometric functions: .
Trigonometry: .
Trimean: .
Triple point: .
Trouton's rule: .
Truncated mean: .
Truss: .
Turbine: .
Turbomachinery: .
Turbulence: .

U

Ultimate tensile strength: .
Uncertainty principle: .
Unicode: .
Unit vector: .
Unsaturated compound: .
Upthrust: .
Utility frequency: .

V

Vacuole: .
Vacuum: An absence of mass in a volume.
Valence: .
Valence band: .
Valence bond theory: .
Valence electron: .
Valence shell: .
Valve: A device for controlling fluid flow.
van der Waals equation: .
van der Waals force: .
van 't Hoff equation: .
van 't Hoff factor: .
Variable capacitor: .
Variable resistor: .
Vector space: .
Venturi effect: .
Vibration: .
Viscoelasticity: .
Viscosity: .
Volt-ampere: .
Volt-ampere reactive: .
Volta potential: .
Voltage: .
Volumetric flow rate: .
von Mises yield criterion: .

W

Watt: The SI unit of power, rate of doing work.
Wave: .
Wavelength: .
Wedge: .
Weighted mean: .
Wet-bulb temperature: The temperature of a wetted thermometer with an air current across it. Used in psychrometry. .
Wheel and axle: .
Winsorized mean: .
Work hardening: .

X

X-coordinate: .

Y

Y-coordinate: .
Yield: The point of maximum elastic deformation of a material; above yield the material is permanently deformed.
Young's modulus: A measure of the stiffness of a material; the amount of force per unit area require to produce a unit strain.

Z

Zero defects: A quality assurance philosophy that aims to reduce the need for inspection of components by improving their quality.
Zero force member: .
Zeroth law of thermodynamics: The equivalence principle applied to temperature; two systems in thermal equiplbirum with a third are also in thermal equilibrium with each other.

References

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Glossary of engineering

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

See also

References