Henry Petroski's previous bestsellers have delighted readers with intriguing stories about the engineering marvels around us, from the lowly pencil to the soaring suspension bridge. In this book, Petroski delves deeper into the mystery of invention, to explore what everyday artifacts and sophisticated networks can reveal about the way engineers solve problems.
Engineering entails more than knowing the way things work. What do economics and ecology, aesthetics and ethics, have to do with the shape of a paper clip, the tab of a beverage can, the cabin design of a turbojet, or the course of a river? How do the idiosyncrasies of individual engineers, companies, and communities leave their mark on projects from Velcro® to fax machines to waterworks? Invention by Design offers an insider's look at these political and cultural dimensions of design and development, production and construction.
Readers unfamiliar with engineering will find Petroski's enthusiasm contagious, whether the topic is the genesis of the Ziploc® baggie or the averted collapse of Manhattan's sleekest skyscraper. And those who inhabit the world of engineering will discover insights to challenge their customary perspective, whether their work involves failure analysis, systems design, or public relations. Written with the flair that readers have come to expect from his books, Invention by Design reaffirms Petroski as the master explicator of the principles and processes that turn thoughts into the many things that define our made world.
- 255 pages
- English
- PDF
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF
About this book
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Information
Publisher
Harvard University PressYear
1998Print ISBN
9780674463684
9780674463677
eBook ISBN
9780674257887
sion
would
be
irresponsibly
appropriating
limited
resources
to
overdesign
everything
from
beverage
cans
to
bridges.
While
safe
artifacts
and
systems
of
all
kinds
are
clearly
very
important
for
the
society
that
finances
them,
every
dollar
that
goes
unnecessarily
into
strength
may
be
a
dollar
that
is
not
available
for
other
needs,
such
as
conservation
or
maintenance.
In
the
real
world,
such
questions
become
inextricably
intertwined
with
po-
litical
and
social
issues,
from
which
engineering
problems
are
never
immune.
Introduction
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7
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Paper Clips and Design
- 3. Pencil Points and Analysis
- 4. Zippers and Development
- 5. Aluminum Cans and Failure
- 6. Facsimile and Networks
- 7. Airplanes and Computers
- 8. Water and Society
- 9. Bridges and Politics
- 10. Buildings and Systems
- References and Further Reading
- Illustration Credits
- Index
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Yes, you can access Invention by Design by Henry Petroski in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Technology & Engineering & Industrial Design. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.