Arc Wander and Magnetic Fields

[Ray C]

Re: General Curiosity *[was: Arc Wander and Magnetic Fields]

That's very good advice, John. Good idea there.

-And you'd be surprised the amount of basic stuff no longer taught in modern curriculums. We have summer interns once in a while and it blows my mind how much things have changed in many schools. Top Tens are still doing a good job of teaching the basics but, your basic State colleges are just pumping kids out. In so many ways, the'ye turning engineers into technicians as they only know the superficial "how" -and not fundamental "why". Basic problem-solving abilities have plummeted! I've even seen a trend where graduate student studies are teaching "true fundamentals" as they were once taught as the beginning courses which preceeded all others. I guess it's a different way of going full circle.

My latest trick is to hire mainly physics students to do EE work. Mechanical Engineering curriculums still seem pretty good though...

I'm going to respond to SE18's (great) question about the Earth's magnetic field, but first I wanted to say something more general.

I'm really really delighted that people are asking these kind of questions. It strikes me that quite a few of these questions would be covered in an introductory materials science course.
When I did my engineering degree (cough, choke, almost 40 years ago), every engineer (no matter what specialty - mechanical to chemical to electrical) had to do a "Materials Science for Engineers"
course, and that was one of the most enjoyable courses I took. Judging from a quickie search, many, if not most, programs have a similar requirement today.

My suggestion for many people is: go find what text book your local college uses for this course. Don't buy it new (new textbook prices are insane), but grab up a used copy. Or get an old edition.
Or find someplace doing a MOOC ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_open_online_course ) and find out their course materials.
Look through some Amazon suggestions like http://www.amazon.com/Materials-Science-Engineering-An-Introduction/dp/0470419970/ . (Disclaimer, I haven't read that one, it just popped up first on my search.)
Get curious!

 

[Rbeckett]

Sniggler.
The Lincoln Foundation book is truly the Bible when it comes to arc welding and theory. That book coupled with the Miller Student resource package and a concerted effort to practice proper welds is really all a welder needs. Back when I started out that was not even mentioned as a source of info. All I got was the "because that is how we always do it. I don't know why, I just do it" answers when I asked why things were done a certain way. After I availed myself of the knowledge that is made readily available to any one who is interested enough to ask, my welds and their performance became much better and 100% more consistent. I generally can run a perfect bead 96-97% of the time, and know when it is time to grind out a screw up and do it right. I am not a technically trained or schooled welder, but would venture to say I can hold my own with just about any one of them and not have failed welds. I may not be able to accurately explain everything exactly like the book, but I know where to find the answer if I am unsure or don't know already. So if you don't have those two sets of literature, spend the few bucks and learn a ton just for the price of admission. It's cheaper than One Day at Disney or Busch Gardens and can change your life if you let it.

Bob

 

[Alan Douglas]

I've even seen a trend where graduate student studies are teaching "true fundamentals" as they were once taught as the beginning courses which preceded all others. I guess it's a different way of going full circle.

Not necessarily a bad thing. Fundamentals may not make much sense until you've had some practical experience. The kids who have experimented and built things before college may get it, while the ones who spent their time with video games may not. I had EE classmates who couldn't solder (but they could run rings around me in math). I spent three summers in a motor repair shop, so the electric machinery course was a breeze; some classmates had no idea what they were doing.