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timpani
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To the common citizen, what profession is more estimated, physicist or engineering.
Good question, its difficult to split up a symbiotic relationship.timpani said:To the common citizen, what profession is more estimated, physicist or engineering.
+1.0lewando said:Depends on who that "common citizen" is. I am an engineer who happens to hold Richard P Feynman in high esteem.
As a common citizen, I agree.micromass said:Mathematicians
micromass said:Mathematicians
Krylov said:As a common citizen, I agree.
I don't understand the second part. Did you have particular examples in mind of prominent theorists that were oblivious to what they were doing or why they were doing it?SW VandeCarr said:For the common citizen, top theoretical physicists have always had the most prestige even though few had the slightest idea what they were doing or why they were doing it.
Krylov said:I don't understand the second part. Did you have particular examples in mind of prominent theorists that were oblivious to what they were doing or why they were doing it?
dipole said:How many great engineers can you name?
dipole said:Well how many great physicists can you name off the top of your head? How many great engineers can you name?
That might help answer your question.
In which direction? I can name more pro football players than either, but I certainly don't hold them in the same regard.dipole said:Well how many great physicists can you name off the top of your head? How many great engineers can you name?
That might help answer your question.
To the common citizen, do you think it matters or that they could name one? How many common people know Einstein was a physicist? A scientist, but not specifically a physicist. To most "common" people there is a "scientist" and "not a scientist". Ask "common" people to list the different fields of engineering. They might be able to list 2-3.timpani said:To the common citizen, what profession is more estimated, physicist or engineering.
Evo said:To the common citizen, do you think it matters or that they could name one? How many common people know Einstein was a physicist? A scientist, but not specifically a physicist. To most "common" people there is a "scientist" and "not a scientist". Ask "common" people to list the different fields of engineering. They might be able to list 2-3.
My dad was an electrical engineer. Neighbors were always asking, "so you're dad is an electrician, can he check out the wiring on such and such in our house?"
There's also the 'mad scientists', who is actually a mad engineer, or a mad medical professional.Evo said:To most "common" people there is a "scientist" and "not a scientist".
Evo said:My dad was an electrical engineer. Neighbors were always asking, "so you're dad is an electrician, can he check out the wiring on such and such in our house?"
But that's not the point, an electrical engineer is not an electrician. A mechanical engineer is not a mechanic.timpani said:Electrical engineers can check the wiring.
Speaking as an electrical engineer who worked for an electrician as a kid, a double EE's ability to "check the wiring" is limited unless they also happen to be electricians. Electricians know fairly well the schematic of what's lurking in the walls, as they know the building code, they know common installation practice, they know the most frequent causes of failure. Maxwell's equations won't help these.timpani said:Electrical engineers can check the wiring.
A physicist is a scientist who studies the fundamental nature of matter, energy, and the universe, while an engineer is a professional who applies scientific and mathematical principles to design, build, and maintain structures, machines, devices, systems, and processes.
Both physics and engineering have a wide range of job opportunities, but engineering tends to have more practical and industry-specific applications, making it a more popular field for employment.
The prestige of a physicist or an engineer is not solely determined by their education level, but rather by their contributions to their respective fields and the impact of their work on society.
Both physicists and engineers are highly respected in the scientific community, as they both play important roles in advancing knowledge and technology.
While there may be some overlap in skills and knowledge between the two fields, physicists and engineers typically have different training and backgrounds, making it difficult for someone to switch from one to the other without additional education and training.