</font><font color="blue" class="small">( This isn't a cultural differance but more a "theoretical" vs "practical" issue. Lots of ideas are great in theory and simply just don't work in practice. )</font>
Yes. And the difference is in our understandings (of engineering.) No problem. Engineers have been discussing these since 16th century when the apple hit on his head of Newton. A side info here: Newton is known more about his F=MxA or F=MxG (where G is gravitational acceleration), but he is less known by "engineers" that he was the first person who introduced "differential formulations." Since this day, engineers are divided into two groups; one of these groups have always considered differential formulations in engineering as "theory" while they have considered F=MxA like a "practical engineering." Both of them are wrong. Engineering itself is an application or "practical" whatever mathematical system you use. So, you consider some mathematical games as theories, but you use them (directly or indirectly) during the design process whether you are aware of it or not. So, we differ here in understanding of engineering. Some other people maybe didn't understand what I meant. Let me make it clearer. Take electrical engineering a kind of engineering playing with the "field laws" or "the energy waves" more than other engineering fields. They frequently use an imaginary number marked "i" (its multiplication by itself is -1, minus 1.) There is no such a real number like "i" in the world, hence it's called "i". Now, the question is that is this number used in practical engineering or in theoretical engineering? Characterizing somethings (parameters and their relations) by some symbols like X, Y, S, S=f(...), Log. Sinus, etc etc isn't a theoretical engineering, but only a game of shortening the talks with less number of characters.
Ps: To me, all science is a practical engineering except (1) Mass&Energy Conservation Laws and (2) Einstein's MxC^2 Energy-Mass relations. Only these two laws; (1) and (2) aren't in engineering field because they can not be proved in the real world (because they are thoughts in the minds.)
Now, as for your practical designing (whatever this is) to determine that X long, Y wide and Z height; Well, to determine them, you are actually calculating the stress distribution behind the scenes. But it's only a geometric design such as placing the goods in a room optimally, then I understand. But this work "usually" doesn't require an engineer.
Ps: CCI, I'll answer your questions only when I find $1541 that I lost a month ago or two. With this $1541, I'll set up an experimental system to develop a shear pin model made of aluminum so that farmers over there will not be breaking many pins anymore. If they are still breaking many pins, there must be a problem. No? By the way, I'll use the slip clutch in my cutter. But I said this before? Yes.
