September 2024 Pop Quiz for Engineers
Will you fail this fall? Take the engineering pop quiz and find out! Are you smarter than an undergraduate?
Riddle Me This: Immanuel the Clock Setter
Immanuel was on his way out the door to visit an old friend across the village when he realized that his grandfather clock had stopped and no longer displayed the correct time. This was the only clock in his home ...
Can Plans and Drawings be Copyrighted?
Engineering plans and drawings involve considerable work and may take months and years to develop. Understandably, many engineering professionals are interested in protecting them and may wonder ...
The Apollo I Fire Disaster
At the height of the space race in the 1960s, the United States pursued an accelerated program to put men on the moon before the Soviet Union. Apollo 1 was to be the first crewed mission of the United States Apollo program, the undertaking ...
The August Ethical Dilemma: Writing for Newspapers
Engineer Susan, a renowned structural engineer, is hired for a nominal sum by a large city newspaper to visit the site of a state bridge construction project.
August 2024 Pop Quiz for Engineers
Beat the summer heat with a good score on August’s engineering pop quiz. Are you smarter than an undergraduate?
Riddle Me This: Water Buckets
You have a 5-gallon bucket, a 3-gallon bucket, and a water faucet. How can you accurately put four gallons of water into the 5-gallon bucket?
Understanding Construction Contracts
A construction contract is a legally binding contract between an owner and a builder that defines compensation and how that compensation will be distributed during or after the completion of a ...
The Explosion of the SS Sultana
The SS Sultana was an impressive steamboat that ran regular trips up and down the Mississippi River during the Civil War. Then, in the wake of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, the SS Sultana ...
The July Ethical Dilemma: Can Engineers Offer Services Outside of Their Firm?
Brad is the engineer who actually developed the proposal for the firm. A city official approaches Brad and asks if he would agree to a contract as a consultant.