Everything on engineering.

Hi, my name is Ludovic Pilon. I live in Laval, Quebec. I have been studying Sciences for 1 year at Montmorency College and my field of study is engineering and technology. This glossary can be useful for the next generation of passionate engineers. Each word in this glossary is related to fundamental concepts in engineering and is commonly used in the field. The terms have been selected to help non-experts better understand engineering. Learning these words and their meanings will help you learn new ideas while creating a strong foundation in the domain.

magnitude: noun; The property of relative size or extent.; Example: The MAGNITUDE of the stress was negligible.; fr: magnitude
mechanics: noun; The branch of physics concerned with the motion of bodies.; Example: MECANICS is essential for analyzing how structures respond to external loads.; fr: mécanique
arch: noun; A curved masonry construction for spanning an opening.; Example: The ARCH distributes the load evenly, allowing the structure to span wide openings without collapsing.; fr: voûte
buckle: verb; Bend and give way under a weight or force.; Example: The bridge started shaking, and then it began to BUCKLE.; fr: céder
composite: noun; Consisting of separate interconnected parts.; Example: The satellite's COMPOSITE structure integrates thermal, electrical, and mechanical subsystems into a unified design.; fr: composite
circuit: noun; An electrical device providing a path for current to flow.; Example: The CIRCUIT was designed to regulate voltage and ensure stable current flow throughout the system.; fr: circuit
force: noun; Influence that results in motion, stress, etc. when applied and cause an object to change its velocity.; Example: When a net FORCE is applied to an object, its velocity changes according to Newton's second law.; fr: force
torque: noun; The tendency of a force to cause or change the rotational motion of a body.; Example: The engine generates enough TORQUE to rotate the crankshaft and drive the wheels efficiently.; fr: moment de force
friction: noun; The force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and material elements sliding against each other.; Example: FRICTION between the brake pad and the rotor slows down the vehicle by resisting their relative motion.; fr: friction
velocity: noun; A measurement of speed relative to the distance traveled per unit time in one direction.; Example: The VELOCITY of the projectile was measured at 300 meters per second in a straight trajectory.; fr: vitesse
fulcrum: noun; The point against which a lever is placed to get a purchase, or on which it turns or is supported.; Example: The lever rotates around the FULCRUM to lift the load with minimal effort.; fr: pivot
watt: noun; Unit of power, equivalent to one joule per second, corresponding to the rate of consumption of energy in an electric circuit where the potential difference is one volt and the current one ampere.; Example: The LED bulb consumes only 10 WATTS, indicating it uses 10 joules of energy per second to produce light.; fr: watt
wave: noun; A propagating dynamic disturbance (change from equilibrium) of one or more quantities.; Example: The seismic WAVE travels through Earth's crust as a dynamic disturbance, displacing particles from their equilibrium positions.; fr: onde
momentum: noun; The product of a body’s mass and its velocity.; Example: During the collision, the MOMENTUM of each vehicle determined the resulting motion and energy transfer.; fr: momentum
acceleration: noun; The rate of change of velocity of an object with respect to time.; Example: The car’s ACCELERATION increased as the engine delivered more power, causing its velocity to change rapidly over time.; fr: accélération
allowance: noun; Planned deviation between an exact dimension and a nominal or theoretical dimension or between an intermediate-stage dimension and an intended final dimension.; Example: An ALLOWANCE of 0.2 mm was included in the casting process to compensate for material shrinkage during cooling.; fr: surépaisseur
inertia: noun; The resistance of any physical object to any change in its state of motion. This includes changes to the object’s speed, direction, or state of rest.; Example: Due to INERTIA, the spacecraft maintained its trajectory until an external force altered its speed and direction.; fr: inertie
dynamics: noun; The branch of applied mathematics (specifically classical mechanics) concerned with the study of forces and torques and their effect on motion, as opposed to kinematics, which studies the motion of objects without reference to its causes.; Example: In DYNAMIC analysis, engineers evaluate how external forces and torques influence the motion and stability of mechanical systems over time.; fr: dynamique
conductivity: noun; The ability of a material to conduct electric current. It is expressed in terms of the current per unit of applied voltage. It is the reciprocal of resistivity.; Example: Copper is widely used in electrical wiring due to its high CONDUCTIVITY, allowing efficient current flow with minimal voltage drop.; fr: conductivité
ohm: noun; A unit of electrical resistance through which a current of 1 ampere will flow when there is a potential difference of 1 volt across it.; Example: The resistor has a value of 100 OHMS, meaning it allows a current of 1 ampere to flow when a voltage of 100 volts is applied across it.; fr: ohm
ductility: noun; Ductility refers to the ability of a material to sustain significant plastic deformation before fracture.; Example: I have chosen copper as the main conductor because it is cheap at the moment and have good conductivity and DUCTILITY.; fr: ductilité
impulse: noun; The integral of a force acting briefly on a body and producing a finite change of momentum over an interval of time.; Example: He IMPULSE delivered by the bat during the brief collision with the ball caused a sudden change in the ball’s momentum, sending it soaring into the outfield.; fr: impulsion
alloy: noun; A metal made by combining two or more metallic elements, especially to give greater strength or resistance to corrosion.; Example: Amorphous metals were first discovered in 1959 by Duwez and associates, who found that it was possible to form a glassy ALLOY by quenching a mixture of liquid metals.; fr: alliage
circumference: noun; The enclosing boundary of a curved geometric figure, especially a circle.; Example: The cameras used were of CIRCUMFERENCE 360 mm so for convenience each millimeter on the photographic film would correspond to an angle of one degree.; fr: circonférence
centrifugal: adjective; Moving or tending to move away from a center.; Example: The fluid nears the disk is carried by it through friction and thrown outwards owing to the CENTRIFUGAL forces acting on it.; fr: centrifuge