UNIT 5 - TEXT QUESTIONS

1. What is the difference between an internal combustion

engine and an external combustion engine?
The external combustion engine ignites its fuel outside of the engine
generating a certain heat through burning fuel that allows any fluid to become
steam. This steam pressure moves a turbine, which is a rotary device intended
to pull energy from a fluid and use it in a functional process. In general this
engines are quite big and tend to be not so much efficient only exploiting a 25
% of the energy made.
In the other hand, the Internal combustion engine ignites its fuel inside the
engine; when the fuel heats up inside the engine, it creates pressure which
forces a piston that moves up and down to create motion in a machine, to
rotate the wheels of a vehicle. This type of engine is more efficient than the
external engine and considerably smaller.

2. How is the field of physics related to mechanical

engineering?
Physics is so much related to mechanical engineering when it comes to
studying how physical objects react when subjected to outside forces or
displacements. In this field (especially in classical mechanics) it is very
important to take into account the laws and formulas of physics.

3. Explain the law of conservation of energy and why it is

important for mechanics.
This law states that energy is continuous; it cannot be created or
destroyed, only altered from one form to another. This law is very important to
mechanics because it is the base to understand all the changes that energy
suffers knowing that it can be destroyed or created so they have a base idea to
develop and find what does make energy change.

4. What is the goal of improving combustion modes?

Improving combustion modes has the goal of finding new ways of
converting thermal energy and in consequence of increasing the efficiency of
the vehicle.

5. What are the advantages of a higher degree in

engineering?
A high degree in engineering gives you more possibilities to become
eligible for faculty positions in higher education or to assist in some cutting-
edge research and development programs. This advantages give you also a
better monetary benefit.
1. What invention would you argue has most impacted
mechanical engineering? Explain your answer.
In my opinion, the invention that has impacted the most to mechanical
engineering is the engine. My point is that this invention made us understand
mechanical demands from another point of view because until this invention
was made, all carriages and basic means of transport were pulled by animals
or by very complex mechanisms which were not much efficient.

2. Unlike classical mechanics, which has been around for

centuries, the field of Quantum Mechanics is relatively new.
Why do you think this sub-discipline has recently emerged?
I think Quantum Mechanics have recently emerged because of the
huge scientific and mechanical advances that we have made in a few years and
are the result of new physical and technical behaviors of the matter that we
can not interprete with our knowledge yet.

3. If nothing can ever be at absolute zero, why does the

concept exist?
Absolute zero (-273 C / 0 K) exists because it is considered the lowest
possible temperature in the universe, nothing can actually have a temperature
that low. This is the meaning given to it although heat energy will never reach
zero.

4. When discussing Material Science, the author states, "The

amount of existing materials on Earth is limited by nature
and human knowledge." Explain what this means to a
material scientist.
This means that if scientists and engineers make advances there
could be a point in which we could be able to generate materials that already
exist so it could give us a lot of new alternatives to advance.

5. Why do you think that those in mechanical engineering

often do not have specializations as other fields of
engineering do?
I think that the main cause is that in its own right, all parts of
mechanical engineering are highly related between them so it is necessary to
study all them together because if they were separated, the advance made
would have been very small.