Failure is central to engineering. Every single calculation that an engineer makes is a failure calculation. Successful engineering is all about understanding how things break or fail.

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

I emphasize that virtually every engineering calculation is ultimately a failure calculation, because without a failure criterion against which to measure the calculated result, it is a meaningless number.

Engineering is achieving function while avoiding failure.

Science is about knowing; engineering is about doing.

Surveying and engineering were quite close back then.