About Quote by Henry Petroski

“A common misconception about how things such as space shuttles come to be is that engineers simply apply the theories and equations of science. But this cannot be done until the new thing-to-be is conceived in the engineer's mind's eye. Rather than following from science, engineered things lead it.”

Henry Petroski

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More by Henry Petroski

All conventional wisdom has an element of truth to it, but good design requires more than an element of truth - it requires an…

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It is really want, rather than need, that drives the process of technological evolution.

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A failed structure provides a counterexample to a hypothesis and shows us incontrovertibly what cannot be done, while a structure that stands without incident…

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Everything we do is designed, whether we're producing a magazine, a website, or a bridge. Design is really the creative invention that designs everything.

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I employ case studies of failure into my courses, emphasizing that they teach us much more than studies of success. It is not that…

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Whether or not science can be applied to that mental construct [i.e. the designed entity] is a matter of availability. If there is body…

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Failures are much more dramatic than successes, and people like drama. I think this is why automobile races draw such crowds. People expect spectacular…

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The most amazing achievement of the computer software industry is its continuing cancellation of the steady and staggering gains made by the computer hardware…

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For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by things large and small. I wanted to know what made my watch…

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Successful engineering is all about understanding how things break or fail.

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The space shuttle was designed, at least in part, to broaden our knowledge of the universe. To scientists, the vehicle was a tool; to…

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Because they are so humbled by their creations, engineers are naturally conservative in their expectations of technology. They know that the perfect system is…

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