Q45Tech

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szh
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All technical work requires a fundamental knowledge of mathematics. Whether it be in the "hard sciences" (Physics, Chemistry, etc.) or the "engineering" fields (IndustrialEng, ChemEng, MechEng, etc.) My background is in Semiconductor Physics and I can assure you that an excellent grounding in math is essential - even for a BS, let alone for MS or PhD/ScD degrees. So, math does not scare me, yet ...

Some years ago, I switched to the telecommunications field and if you think this is easy, nope! The CDMA cellular system (as deployed by Verizon Wireless, Alltel, Sprint in the US) uses spread spectrum techniques that are extremely complex. A few days ago, I had to dive into a book on the topic (fwiw, it is called "Third-Generation CDMA Systems for Enhanced Data Services") and have had to crack open my old math texts to try and follow the information presented in here.

Just look at the following words from chapter 3: A set of functions {f sub n} all of length N are mutually orthogonal if the following relationship holds: (eq left out for simplicity). In this equation, delta sub r is known as the dirac-delta operator. This operator is 1 when r = 0, or zero otherwise. If the summation in the equation is simply delta sub k-l rather than N delta sub k-l, a user can suppress signals intended for other users in a CDMA system while capturing his own.

My first reaction on reading this was "Huhn?". I had no clue what they were talking about! After three or four days of reading other texts, I finally understood the above ... just one short section. Imagine how long it is going to take me to read through this book and "get it"! Argh!

Z


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EZcheese15
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You aren't the only one....

This isn't *as* complicated, but I just found the following paragraph in a book titled "Introduction to Internal Combustion Engines"

"With particle tracking and streak photographic techniques a sheet of light can be used to obtain flow information in a two-dimensional field. However, these techniques are limited to rather low densities of tracer particles, so as to avoid excessive computation time for the identification of individual particles, or the intersection or merging of streaks. This limits the number of flow field vectors that can be obtained from a single image, PIV does not rely on the identification of individual particles, so that a higher density of tracing particles can be used. With laser illumination, particle sizes of order 1 µm can be used (oil droplets are convenient, since they assist with in-cylinder lubrication), and these are well able to follow the flows."

And if that's not scary enough for you, you should see the pages of calculus explaining it into more depth. And that is "INTRODUCTION" to IC engines. Probably about midway through the book.

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lessthanjakejohn
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ouch, I tried to look through my dads chemical engineering books the other day. My first question was, "Is this english?"

btw my dad got a chemical engineering degree as well as some other math stuff. But eventually went to law :confused: Now he tells businesses how to avoid taxes but probaly makes more than if he had done otherwise.

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szh
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Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2002 12:54 pm
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Unfortunately, no longer a Nissan or Infiniti, but continuing here at NICO!
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lessthanjakejohn wrote:btw my dad got a chemical engineering degree as well as some other math stuff. But eventually went to law


A common occurrence! Many people get educated in one field and end up in another - usually entirely different.

When in college for a BS, the right thing to do is to get grounded in the basics: mathematics and how to learn. Then, if interested and able, get the higher level specializations in the interesitng field of choice. Always pick what is interesting to you, not what is being paid well, or what seems to be the fad career of the day. Because then you are more likely to stick to it in later years.

One point also being that if you fully get the basics, then switching to another field or career - if you do not like the earliier choice - is easier!

Z

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lessthanjakejohn
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szhosain wrote:A common occurrence! Many people get educated in one field and end up in another - usually entirely different.

When in college for a BS, the right thing to do is to get grounded in the basics: mathematics and how to learn. Then, if interested and able, get the higher level specializations in the interesitng field of choice. Always pick what is interesting to you, not what is being paid well, or what seems to be the fad career of the day. Because then you are more likely to stick to it in later years.

One point also being that if you fully get the basics, then switching to another field or career - if you do not like the earliier choice - is easier!

Z


thats great advice, my mom was the same way... got home economics but then got a business degree and worked for Arthur Anderson and EDS for like 15 years.

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Eswift
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EZcheese15 wrote:
"With particle tracking and streak photographic techniques a sheet of light can be used to obtain flow information in a two-dimensional field. However, these techniques are limited to rather low densities of tracer particles, so as to avoid excessive computation time for the identification of individual particles, or the intersection or merging of streaks. This limits the number of flow field vectors that can be obtained from a single image, PIV does not rely on the identification of individual particles, so that a higher density of tracing particles can be used. With laser illumination, particle sizes of order 1 µm can be used (oil droplets are convenient, since they assist with in-cylinder lubrication), and these are well able to follow the flows."


welcome, next semester...


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