Engineering

Art of construction: divided into (1) civil, devoted to public works; (2) mechanical, which deals with prime motors and machinery; (3) mining, devoted to the production and utilization of ores; and (4) electrical, which comprises the. industrial applications of electricity. Other subdivisions sometimes recognized are: hydraulic, sanitary, railroad, and bridge, which are branches of the broad field of civil engineering. Military engineering includes constructions intended for purposes of war. In early times all engineering was under the charge of army officers; the Roman roads, e.g., being built by soldiers in times of peace. Telford, the founder of the oldest engineering society, defined engineering to be the art of utilizing the forces and materials of nature for the benefit of man. See CIVIL ENGINEERING.