Preface The McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Engineering provides a compendium of more than 18,000 terms that are central to the various branches of engineering and related fields of science. The coverage in this Second Edition is focused on building construction, chemical engineering, civil engineering, control systems, design engineering, electricity and electronics, engineering acoustics, industrial engi neering, mechanics and mechanical engineering, systems engineering, and thermodynamics. Many new entries have been added since the previous edition ith others revised as necessary. Many of the terms used in engineering are often found in specialized dictionaries and glossaries; this Dictionary, however, aims to provide the user with the convenience of a single, comprehensive All of the definitions are drawn from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, Sixth Edition(2003). Each definition is classified according to the field with which it is primarily associated; if it is used in more than one area,it is idenfified by the general label ENGINEERING The pronunciation of each term is provided along with synonyms, acronyms, and abbreviations where appropriate. a guide to the use of the Dictionary appears on pages vii and viii, explaining the alphabetical organization of terms, the format of the book, cross referencing, and how synonyms, variant spellings, abbreviations, and similar information are handled. The pronunciation Key is given on page xi. The Appendix provides conversion tables for commonly used scientific units as well as listings of useful mathematical, engineering, and scientific data It is the editors' hope that the Second Edition of the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Engineering will serve the needs of scientists, engineers, students, teachers, librarians, and writers for high-quality information, and that it will contribute to scientific literacy and communication Mark D. Lick Publisher Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use.Preface The McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Engineering provides a compendium of more than 18,000 terms that are central to the various branches of engineering and related fields of science. The coverage in this Second Edition is focused on building construction, chemical engineering, civil engineering, control systems, design engineering, electricity and electronics, engineering acoustics, industrial engi￾neering, mechanics and mechanical engineering, systems engineering, and thermodynamics. Many new entries have been added since the previous edition with others revised as necessary. Many of the terms used in engineering are often found in specialized dictionaries and glossaries; this Dictionary, however, aims to provide the user with the convenience of a single, comprehensive reference. All of the definitions are drawn from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, Sixth Edition (2003). Each definition is classified according to the field with which it is primarily associated; if it is used in more than one area, it is idenfified by the general label [ENGINEERING]. The pronunciation of each term is provided along with synonyms, acronyms, and abbreviations where appropriate. A guide to the use of the Dictionary appears on pages vii and viii, explaining the alphabetical organization of terms, the format of the book, cross referencing, and how synonyms, variant spellings, abbreviations, and similar information are handled. The Pronunciation Key is given on page xi. The Appendix provides conversion tables for commonly used scientific units as well as listings of useful mathematical, engineering, and scientific data. It is the editors’ hope that the Second Edition of the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Engineering will serve the needs of scientists, engineers, students, teachers, librarians, and writers for high-quality information, and that it will contribute to scientific literacy and communication. Mark D. Licker Publisher v Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use