Tag: mathematics

Engineering Riddle – No. 1 (Math) “I may cross once, I may cross twice…”

I may cross once, I may cross twice, I may cross never, but never thrice.
When starting up, I finish down, I finish up, when starting down.
I have three parts, some friends would say, One straight, one curved, one same all day.
With time and place and rate of flight, I’ll tell you where you’ll be tonight.
 
And when you throw a ball up high, I’ll tell you when to close your eye.
I’ll use my shape to bend the light, And take you close to stars at night,
And if you want to talk to friends, Transmit/Receive, I’m on both ends.
Now if my name you still can’t state, Just draw a line, then integrate.
 
What am I?

Update from the Author

Dear Engineering Stories followers,

I hope you’re all aware by now that my series of eight stories are available for free in a variety of ebook formats. Spread the word and encourage youth and engineering students to read Engineering Stories.

Of late I have had the need and opportunity to use some engineering and math academics at work in understanding and analyzing control systems. Yep, if any of you have taken Controls Engineering, or Linear Systems classes, you’ll know what I’m talking about; Newtons laws, Kirchhoffs laws, free body diagrams, Laplace Transforms, control diagram reductions, stability analysis,… This may be crazy, but I am enjoying using such science to accomplish good things. I’m one of those college students that kept most of my text books, and am I glad I did. Of course, if I can’t find what I need in my dusty text’s, then I can go on-line or email my professors from way back.

Anyway, I like re-learning what I once knew, or thought I knew. Dynamic Systems and transfer functions; good stuff, powerful tools. What engineering academics have you used lately?

Ken