Structual Engineering is:

[JimPghPA]

I saw this on the History Chanel some time ago, and it is now one of my favorite quotes:

"Structural engineering is the art of molding materials we don't wholly understand, into shapes we can't fully analyze, so as to withstand forces we can't really assess, in such a way that the community at large has no reason to suspect the extent of our ignorance." ...James E. Amrhein - Masonry Institute of America

 

[XS650]

There is a lot of truth to that. A structural engineer needs to know what he doesn't know and compensate for that.

That also holds for other fields of engineering that actually cause things to be built.

 

[greenjp]

If we knew everything we wouldn't need safety factors.

jeff

 

[TooManyWheels]

That statement could describe any aspect of life, it's just that engineers are a little more deliberative about their process.

 

[Torino]

Yes, F=MA and you can't push on a rope. Sounds pretty rational to me. Bigdrag--Las Vegas

 

[simple_gifts]

The university I attended had a library built in the 1930s with steam cranes and horse drawn wagons. Twelve stories in all capped with a carillon. The ironwork is massive. The I-beams appear to be about 4ft tall. In 1968, the school added an addition surrounding the original structure. As the books added up, the 1968 addition fatigued and had to be reworked; the 1930s original structure stood intact.

 

[Rick in PA]

Originally Posted By: Torino
Yes, F=MA and you can't push on a rope. Sounds pretty rational to me. Bigdrag--Las Vegas

Soak the rope with water, freeze it, then you can push it.
Now that's engineering!