What is Mechanical Engineering?

We have probably all heard about this field, but what exactly is it? Mechanical engineering is probably the broadest branch of engineering, spanning the concepts of energy, force, and motion. In short, mechanical engineering is the designing of things that can move. This could include anything from a furnace in your home, to the air conditioner in your car (or even your car itself).  Also included could be the watch on your wrist, or the chair you are sitting in.  

What does a mechanical engineer do?

It is very rare for one single mechanical engineer to be designing all of the items listed above. Many mechanical engineers have specialized in a more specific field to better their understanding of that individual subject. One may focus on automobiles, while another focuses on hand drills. The possibilities are seemingly endless. But even though their specialties may be different, they probably still relate to the same concepts of energy, force, and motion. 

What is a mechanical engineer like?

To me a mechanical engineer is the person who goes to work Monday through Friday, designing some of the things that I spoke of before, and then on the weekends can be found tinkering in his shed, garage, or shop. This is the kind of person who will spend a rainy Saturday watching reruns of Modern Marvels, MythBusters, and How it’s Made.  Then the next day he/she may try to design or test some of these things on his own. A mechanical engineers mind is constantly asking the same three questions: “How does that work?”, “Could I make that better?”, and “What’s next?”.

How do mechanical engineers help the world?

You may be asking, “Okay, now how do they help me?” The answer is simple. Look around! That car you drove to work today, that was a mechanical engineer.  The mouse you are using to scroll with right now, yeah that was probably a mechanical engineer also. A mechanical engineer possibly also played a role in designing the shoes you have on your feet. And these are just the things YOU use. Mechanical engineers play a role in designing helmets for our armed forces. They also have an influence on the way firearms and other weapons are made. These items help to keep our country, and our soldiers, safe. So like I said, look around. Most of the things you can see, a mechanical engineer had a part in designing.