"Wisdom begins in wonder" – Socrates
Category: Engineering
Rheology
12/12/24
“What is the study of the flow of matter?”
Flows happen in matter, whether it’s in a liquid, gas, or even a soft solid. The science behind studying material flow phenomena is called Rheology. Rheology has direct insights for physics, engineering, materials science, physiology, and chemistry.
Ground Source Heat Pumps
12/07/24
“How can heat pumps use the ground as a heat source?”
Heat pumps take heat from one place and transfer it to another. Typically, underground layers in the Earth are much more mild compared with the Earth’s surface. This means that heat can be transferred from the ground to a building on a cold day and vice versa on a hot day. This is how Ground Source Heat Pumps work.
Water Source Heat Pumps
12/06/24
“How can a heat pump use water as a source?”
Heat pumps take heat from one medium and transfer it to another. Water Source Heat Pumps extract heat from a body of water to heat a desired space. Water source heat pumps typically have a higher heat transfer rate than ground source heat pumps.
Image credit: http://www.kimpton.co.uk
Dynamic Programming
11/28/24
“How can we solve a complex programming problem by breaking it into sub-problems?”
Some programming problems can be incredibly complex to solve. But by breaking it into repeatable sub-problems, we can create solutions for these to work into a solution for the larger overall problem eventually. This technique is called Dynamic Programming and can be used in all sorts of applications, ranging from finding the smallest distance between two points to deciding the most optimal way to arrange items in a piece of luggage.
Storm Drain Inlet Filtration Units
11/17/24
“How can we attach filters to storm drains?”
Storm drains carry floodwaters away from cities to a dumping source. However, pollution from the city, such as debris or runoff, may enter the storm drain and harm the environment. People can install Storm Drain Inlet Filtration Units to keep these in place.
Image credit https://oldcastleinfrastructure.com/
Environmental Impact Assessments
11/04/24
“How can we evaluate the environmental impacts of projects?”
Governments and institutions carry out construction projects. These are bound to have environmental impacts. The scale of these impacts can be measured through Environmental Impact Assessments, where professionals review the impacts of all possible projects compared to doing nothing at all.
Why Rainstorms Exacerbate the Public Health Hazard of Polluted Waterways
11/03/24
“Why do rainstorms exacerbate the public health hazard of polluted waterways?”
Polluted waterways are a nuisance. They produce vile odors, look bad, and can be dangerous to enter. When rainstorms occur, they cause the waterway to expand and flood the surrounding area, exacerbating danger. This is Why Rainstorms Exacerbate the Public Health Hazard of Polluted Waterways.
How to Daylight a Stream
10/28/24
“How do we restore a buried stream?”
People bury streams for a variety of reasons. This can cause flooding issues and habitat destruction. Later, people may want to restore the stream. Restoring, or daylighting a stream can be accomplished by removing artificial impediments like pavements and culverts, recreating the former ecosystem, and applying maintenance techniques. This is How to Daylight a Stream.
Ecosystem Improvement Compensation
10/27/24
“How can we compensate people for improving ecosystems?”
Ecosystem services monetarily quantify the value an ecosystem provides. If someone improves an ecosystem, then under this framework they theoretically raise the ecosystem value. Some governments may want to implement Ecosystem Improvement Compensation by paying people who make ecosystems better.
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