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just a statement - mig21 - 11-11-2009

Just a thought that states my attitude to structural engineering and civil engineering

There are two ways to study a natural problem: they are the purely scientific and engineer way. The way of pure science is only interested in getting the truth. In this way there is only one answer, the real, no matter how long it takes to achieve it. For the engineer there are many possible answers, when all they are compromises between truth and time, because the engineer must have an answer in time. Your answer should be sufficient for a certain purpose, although not strictly true. Therefore the engineer must make assumptions, these assumptions that in some cases are not strictly correct, but nevertheless possible to obtain an adequate response to the real immediate purpose.
The structural engineering is therefore the art of using materials whose properties can only be estimated, to build real structures, which can only be approximately analyzed in order to resist the actions that are not sufficiently known, so that our responsibility to public safety is met.
In short, if an individual has five minutes to solve a problem whose life depends on its resolution, the same individual should spend three minutes to study and understand the problem and two minutes to solve it. "

Text adapted from various known and unknown authors.t