All conventional wisdom has an element of truth to it, but good design requires more than an element of truth - it requires an ensemble of correct assumptions and valid calculations.
Engineers are not superhuman. They make mistakes in their assumptions, in their calculations, in their conclusions. That they make mistakes is forgiv… - Henry Petroski
Engineers are not superhuman. They make mistakes in their assumptions, in their calculations, in their conclusions. That they make mistakes is forgiv…
- Henry Petroski
No one wants to learn from mistakes, but we cannot learn enough from successes to go beyond the state of the art. - Henry Petroski
No one wants to learn from mistakes, but we cannot learn enough from successes to go beyond the state of the art.
Failure is Central to engineering. Every single calculation that an engineer makes is a failure calculation. - Henry Petroski
Failure is Central to engineering. Every single calculation that an engineer makes is a failure calculation.
Form follows failure. - Henry Petroski
Form follows failure.
I emphasize that virtually every engineering calculation is ultimately a failure calculation, because without a failure criterion against which to me… - Henry Petroski
I emphasize that virtually every engineering calculation is ultimately a failure calculation, because without a failure criterion against which to me…
The plain wooden toothpick, it may be argued, is among the simplest of manufactured things. It consists of a single part, made of a single material, … - Henry Petroski
The plain wooden toothpick, it may be argued, is among the simplest of manufactured things. It consists of a single part, made of a single material, …
Engineering, like poetry, is an attempt to approach perfection. And engineers, like poets, are seldom completely satisfied with their creations. They… - Henry Petroski
Engineering, like poetry, is an attempt to approach perfection. And engineers, like poets, are seldom completely satisfied with their creations. They…
Case studies of failure should be made a part of the vocabulary of every engineer so that he or she can recall or recite them when something in a new… - Henry Petroski
Case studies of failure should be made a part of the vocabulary of every engineer so that he or she can recall or recite them when something in a new…
Engineering is achieving function while avoiding failure. - Henry Petroski
Engineering is achieving function while avoiding failure.
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