Mechanical engineers are concerned with the principles of motion, energy, and force. Generally, a machine converts one form of movement into another. It is the responsibility of engineers to design machines whose parts and assemblies function in a safe and reliable, efficient, and predictable fashion. Indeed, the numerous laws and principles developed by scientists are the everyday tools of the mechanical engineer. Anything the engineer does that is related to the motion and dynamics of heat, gas, air, fluids, and solid materials requires the understanding and application of science.
Mechanical engineering encompasses many specialties.
Mechanical engineers design advanced materials and structures to meet the demands of supersonic and hypersonic space travel. They work in the nuclear energy field on the design of electrical power plants equipped with reactors, pressure piping, heat exchangers, and other specialized components. In the automobile industry, mechanical engineers design the various parts of a car, and in manufacturing companies, they develop computer systems that improve and speedup the production process. Some mechanical engineers work in areas not usually considered to require engineering. Efforts to clean up and preserve the earth's environment have attracted many mechanical engineers to projects involving the treatment of water, soil, and waste material.