“Mechanical Engineers build the weapons, Civil Engineers build the Targets”. I don’t know where I heard it from but I guess it is a well known quote. However it underlines in one sentence the relationships between structures, infrastructure and conflict.
Just as the reading suggests, in times of conflict infrastructures, structures are built according to a certain conflict level. In the text, while trebuchet, catapults were being constructed for higher efficiency,range, and damage, castles, on the other hand, were being built bigger, thicker and stronger. It’s also interesting that engineering in those days was specifically being done to increase the odds of survival during battle. Today although defensive engineering still exists, engineering has other priorities as well such as improving quality of life.
These relationships between structures, infrastructures, and structures and the reading, make you wonder about what would happen if there was no conflict in the first place to fuel the need to engineer new weapon of war. Would engineering exists even if conflicts didn’t exist?
I totally agree to this. I love the quote you quoted. It is very much true that conflict infrastructures lead to the construction of structures. I don't think engineering would exist if conflicts didn't!
ReplyDeleteI also love the quote; it shows how all the engineering fields are connected. It's ironic how on hand, one area of engineering is designing weapons to destroy buildings while another area is trying to make buildings withstand anything. Very true that engineering would not exist without conflicts because engineers solve people's problems.
ReplyDeleteI like the quote “Mechanical Engineers build the weapons, Civil Engineers build the Targets”. It is interesting and summaries the work of mechanical engineers and civil engineers in some ways. I think the reason why engineering exists is the requirements of people. People need to protect themselves and attack enemies, so we created weapons. On the other hand, when people need protection, we created buildings. Engineers tried hard to build bigger, thicker and stronger, because we need the defensive engineering and high quality of life. I think engineers would exist whenever people have requirements. And the fact is people always need something. (ENGR 103)
ReplyDeleteme too=)
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