An informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines. Hosted by interdisciplinary engineer Pius Wong, also host of The K12 Engineering Education Podcast. Produced by Pios Labs. Support the podcast by donating to Pius's studio on Patreon: www.patreon.com/pioslabs.
debounce
To shrink the number of our faulty counts,
you have to learn how to debounce.
This is Episode 105 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs
Originally published April 16, 2021.
6/11/2022 • 8 minutes, 17 seconds
anti-pattern
My code is as long as here to Saturn, but condensed and confused in an anti-pattern.
This is Episode 104 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs
Originally published March 26, 2021.
6/11/2022 • 7 minutes, 44 seconds
zip tie
They told me, "Let 'er rip, guy!"
"Tighten up that zip tie!"
This is Episode 103 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs
Originally published January 13, 2021.
6/11/2022 • 5 minutes, 14 seconds
Maillard
The chemical reaction we smell from afar
that gives satisfaction is named Maillard.
This is Episode 102 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs
Powered by Pios Labs: https://pioslabs.com/
Originally published January 4, 2021.
6/11/2022 • 4 minutes, 46 seconds
interstory drift
Do wooden planks below my feet not splinter while they shift
during monumental bends and strains from interstory drift?
This is Episode 101 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs
Powered by Pios Labs: https://pioslabs.com/
Originally published December 17, 2020.
6/11/2022 • 6 minutes
jerk
Mechanical engineers must work
to eliminate excessive jerk.
This is Episode 100 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs
Powered by Pios Labs: https://pioslabs.com/
Originally published December 14, 2020.
6/11/2022 • 5 minutes, 51 seconds
quoin
Stack your your stones and let walls join
to make an old-school building quoin.
This is Episode 99 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs
Powered by Pios Labs: https://pioslabs.com/
Originally published December 1, 2020.
6/11/2022 • 3 minutes, 18 seconds
currying
You might see some programmers scurrying
when trying to implement a little currying.
This is Episode 98 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs
Originally published November 13, 2020.
6/11/2022 • 8 minutes, 22 seconds
skunkworks
Every product has flaws and some quirks,
but are products better if they come from skunkworks?
This is Episode 97 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pioslabs
Originally published November 5, 2020.
6/11/2022 • 5 minutes, 1 second
ADA
Engineers, don't be shady, eh?
Design it with the ADA.
This is Episode 96 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published October 14, 2020.
6/11/2022 • 6 minutes, 52 seconds
bioreactor
Get an engineer and a chiropractor
if you're going to move that bioreactor.
This is Episode 95 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published October 8, 2020.
6/11/2022 • 4 minutes, 36 seconds
op amp
A real electrical top champ
is the multitalented op amp.
This is Episode 94 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published September 29, 2020.
6/11/2022 • 7 minutes, 46 seconds
fenestration
To prevent your frustration
have good fenestration.
This is Episode 93 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published September 22, 2020.
6/11/2022 • 4 minutes, 26 seconds
stress
Materials at their best
will take a lot of stress.
This is Episode 92 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published September 15, 2020.
6/11/2022 • 5 minutes, 2 seconds
RUD
If I total my car, you see,
I'll just call it an RUD.
This is Episode 91 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published September 10, 2020.
6/11/2022 • 6 minutes, 34 seconds
ohm
An engineer will feel at home
when surrounded by many an ohm.
This is Episode 90 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Listen to the latest episodes, ad-free: http://engineeringwordoftheday.com/
Catch past episodes on Anchor and PRX: https://anchor.fm/engineering-education
Originally published September 1, 2020.
6/11/2022 • 6 minutes, 16 seconds
actuator
To control and steer kinetic energy
is an actuator's ultimate apogee.
This is Episode 89 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published August 7, 2020.
6/11/2022 • 4 minutes, 34 seconds
NIST
Is there a standard I may have missed?
Time to consult the engineers at NIST.
This is Episode 88 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally created July 19, 2020.
6/11/2022 • 6 minutes, 50 seconds
tensile
A robot arm may have a prehensile length
that should be tested for its tensile strength!
This is Episode 87 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published March 21, 2020.
6/11/2022 • 2 minutes, 55 seconds
FMEA
You want to prevent catastrophe, eh?
Well, engineers, do FMEA.
This is Episode 86 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published March 20, 2020.
6/11/2022 • 4 minutes, 48 seconds
acetal
Engineers take a ton of tests. They're thinking: Can I pass it all?
They do, and they build tons of things, and some are made of acetal.
This is Episode 85 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published February 25, 2020.
6/11/2022 • 3 minutes, 25 seconds
resonance
If you can't decide, and you're on the fence, get knocked right off, by some resonance.
This is Episode 84 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published February 18, 2020.
6/11/2022 • 4 minutes, 47 seconds
potentiometer
Ah, potentiometers. So much potential use, right?
This is Episode 83 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
*Note: To be more specific, current is a flow of charge. But a flow of electrons is close enough for a lot of engineers.
Originally published February 11, 2020.
6/11/2022 • 4 minutes, 59 seconds
sontimeter / centimeter
If your client calls a centimeter a "sontimeter," I'll assume they're medical and you've got a leader.
This is Episode 82 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published February 7, 2020.
6/11/2022 • 6 minutes, 10 seconds
GPS [Guest: Hugo Fruehauf]
Hugo Fruehauf, one of the co-inventors of GPS, explains the nitty-gritty of what GPS is. He also details his critical engineering work on the GPS subsystem of the atomic clock. Hugo was one of four recipients of the 2019 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, along with Dr. Bradford Parkinson, Professor James Spilker, and Richard Schwartz.
Related to this episode:
• Hugo’s website: hugofruehauf.com/
• Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering: qeprize.org/
This is Episode 81 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines. This is also a co-production of The K12 Engineering Education Podcast: https://k12engineering.net/
6/11/2022 • 32 minutes, 26 seconds
calculus
This challenge will not tackle us; we'll tackle it, we'll win, this calculus.
This is Episode 80 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published November 11, 2019.
6/11/2022 • 6 minutes, 39 seconds
diamagnetic
That frog is not frenetic; it floats and is diamagnetic. This is Episode 79 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published September 20, 2019.
6/11/2022 • 6 minutes, 9 seconds
perovskite
Engineers, unite! Harness the power of perovskite. This is Episode 78 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Cover art by Cadmium at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2527511
Originally published July 29, 2019.
6/11/2022 • 4 minutes, 50 seconds
MVC
It's the real MVP of simplifying user interfaces in some programming languages these days. This is Episode 77 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published May 1, 2019.
6/11/2022 • 5 minutes, 13 seconds
CRISPR
I like my definitions to be CRISPR and clearer. This is Episode 76 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published April 2, 2019.
6/11/2022 • 4 minutes, 26 seconds
fugacity
Messing with this gas of a word isn't ideal. This is Episode 75 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published March 15, 2018.
6/11/2022 • 4 minutes, 54 seconds
metaprogramming
Programming programs to program their own programs. This is Episode 74 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published February 25, 2019.
6/11/2022 • 3 minutes, 49 seconds
zero-indexed
One is fun, and zero is a hero, in our engineering programming languages. This is Episode 73 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published October 18, 2018.
6/11/2022 • 3 minutes, 42 seconds
trochoidal
Whip your brain into shape by studying trochoidal things.This is Episode 72 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published August 17, 2018.
6/11/2022 • 2 minutes, 50 seconds
Six Sigma
Let's take a crack at this jargon from quality and reliability engineering (but don't crack your products). This is Episode 71 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published September 9, 2018.
6/11/2022 • 5 minutes, 22 seconds
Kalman filter
Keep your data streams from going helter skelter with the help of a Kalman filter. This is Episode 70 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published August 1, 2018.
6/11/2022 • 6 minutes, 1 second
tare
Forget to get your tare, and you might shed a tear. This is Episode 69 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published July 11, 2018.
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 31 seconds
crazing
I tried ceramic glazing / The result was quite amazing / When I saw it cool / I touched not a tool / The surface showed cracks and crazing. ***This is Episode 68 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
June 26, 2018.
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 57 seconds
negative testing
Always think positive, unless you're doing negative testing. This is Episode 67 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published June 19, 2018.
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 25 seconds
enantiomer
She thought it was very fancy of her / to separate the two enantiomers / She looked in the mirror / It couldn't be clearer / The left one was better and handsomer. ***This is Episode 66 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published June 11, 2018.
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 40 seconds
breakpoint
Stop everything! We've hit a breakpoint, and things are gonna get dicey. This is Episode 65 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published May 28, 2018.
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 4 seconds
corrosion
If you have some metal, in a pot or a kettle, on this you can trust: over time it'll rust. This is Episode 64 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published May 22, 2018.
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 56 seconds
TRIZ
If I read through a thousand invention patents, I hope I'd learn something, too. This is Episode 63 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published May 7, 2018.
6/10/2022 • 5 minutes, 57 seconds
hardness
If you can resist concentrated attack and damage, maybe you've got some engineer-level hardness. This is Episode 62 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published April 23, 2018.
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 29 seconds
camber
Cool as a cucumber curved with quite the camber. This is Episode 61 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published April 12, 2018.
6/10/2022 • 5 minutes, 14 seconds
tribology
Engineers who study this know how to rub you the right way. This is Episode 60 of Engineering Word Of The Day, an informal show on favorite, fascinating, or funny words and phrases used in various engineering disciplines.
Originally published April 2, 2018.
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 18 seconds
RTOS
Wish I handled the dishes in real time, too.
Originally published March 26, 2018.
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 49 seconds
gigawatt
Picture this: a lightning bolt shoots out about 10 gigawatts of power. Subscribe today: www.engineeringwordoftheday.com
Originally published March 18, 2018.
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 44 seconds
quaternion
Quarter for your thoughts about quaternions?
Originally published March 11, 2018.
6/10/2022 • 5 minutes, 1 second
poll
Let's take a poll. Who knows what this engineering word means?
Originally published February 26, 2018.
6/10/2022 • 5 minutes, 8 seconds
GNU
Have you heard our GNU software engineering word of the day?
Originally published February 13, 2018.
6/10/2022 • 5 minutes, 55 seconds
locknut
For those situations when you just can't let go.
Originally published February 5, 2018.
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 45 seconds
WYSIWYG
Why Would Somebody Insist We Yank Goats? That's not what WYSIWYG stands for.
Originally published January 28, 2018.
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 34 seconds
510(k)
Submitting a 510(k) might be like saying you're qualified for college because your fraternal twin is already there.
Originally published January 22, 2018.
6/10/2022 • 6 minutes, 6 seconds
poka-yoke
The delicious flavor of 0% manufacturing defect rate can come from fresh poka-yoke.
Originally published January 7, 2018.
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 36 seconds
NPD
New year, new Engineering Word Of The Day. Or in this case, new acronym of the day, standing for "new product development".
Originally published January 2, 2018.
6/10/2022 • 5 minutes, 7 seconds
turboencabulator
As amazing as hexadiagonal flamshooter energy.
Originally published December 12, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 21 seconds
duty cycle
Not a doodie cycle, but a duty cycle.
Originally published December 6, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 51 seconds
dogfooding
Grow, make, and eat your own dogfood -- I mean products.
Originally published November 28, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 31 seconds
normal
This is not normal.
Originally published November 21, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 51 seconds
upskill
Upskill your team without killing the mood.
Originally published November 13, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 41 seconds
kanban
Organize your to-do list efficiently!
Originally published November 6, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 46 seconds
LaTeX
Keep your hands clean when you write professional publications.
Originally published October 31, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 5 minutes, 7 seconds
dross
This podcast is aiming to avoid being aural dross.
Originally published October 24, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 20 seconds
detent
Let's have a détente over detents.
Originally published October 18, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 5 minutes, 5 seconds
freeboard
It's not a power ballad by Lynyrd Skynyrd, and it's not a burrito chain. What is it? The question floods me with curiosity.
Originally published October 7, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 55 seconds
sparging
If only we could be sparging all our troubles away...
Originally published October 4, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 5 minutes, 6 seconds
autoclave
Will your device design withstand repeated autoclaving?
Originally published September 30, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 17 seconds
CSS
Discussing a cascade of styles all over the sheets.
Originally published September 27, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 2 minutes, 55 seconds
azeotrope
And a heliotrope used to describe a flower that turns toward the sun.
Originally published September 16, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 27 seconds
solder
Why doesn't solder rhyme with older?
Originally published September 13, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 2 minutes, 46 seconds
APLHGR
One who hugs apples? Or average planar linear heat generation rate?
Originally published September 9, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 10 seconds
isomer
How are isomers like ice cream?
Originally published September 6, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 15 seconds
O.E.M.
It's the OG OEM.
Originally published September 9, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 24 seconds
circumscribe
Trying not to talk in circles here.
Originally published August 30, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 12 seconds
orthogonal
I'm orthogonal, and I've never felt so right.
Originally published August 26, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 1 second
blue sky
It's customer-centered design versus blue sky design. Who will win?
Originally published August 23, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 4 seconds
ephemerides
When astronomical data becomes hard to pronounce.
Originally published August 19, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 46 seconds
viscoelasticity
Sia's new music video for "Viscoelastic Heart" is pretty weird.
Originally published August 16, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 41 seconds
inclinometer
A tool for pirates navigating the oceans, and more, yarrr...
Originally published August 12, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 44 seconds
operator
Not just telephone operators, folks!
Originally published August 9, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 48 seconds
sensitivity
When you're almost done designing something, do you start to feel very sensitive?
Originally published August 5, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 24 seconds
impedance
Don't you dare impede my learning.
Originally published August 2, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 51 seconds
UNF (Unified National Fine)
Acronyms galore! The UTC defines UNC and UNF standards in the USA. Oof.
Originally published July 29, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 26 seconds
stem cell
Both a target and a tool of biomedical engineering nowadays.
Originally published July 26, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 6 seconds
UX (user experience)
Another design buzzword? Or important field? Both?
Originally published July 22, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 38 seconds
breadboard
You use it to help design devices that end up in more than your kitchen.
Originally published July 19, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 43 seconds
verification
Special guest engineer an business consultant Pat Sweet, P.Eng., joins the EWOTD podcast for another episode to talk about the important concept of "verification". This is Part 2 of two episodes.
Originally published July 15, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 11 minutes, 3 seconds
validation [Guest: Pat Sweet, P.Eng.]
Engineering and business consultant Pat Sweet, P.Eng., guests on today's podcast. You can find him over at "Engineering and Leadership" on the web: www.engineeringandleadership.com
Originally published July 12, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 8 minutes, 32 seconds
valence
Atomic poetry in the electron cloud model.
Originally published July 8, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 51 seconds
daemon
Is there a program called Matt Daemon that secretly translates everything you say around your computer into a Boston accent?
Originally published July 5, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 2 minutes, 57 seconds
tappet
No, it's not an alternative slang form of "tap that," but it is a part that really gets us going. See Chysler's 1950's explanation: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x6PIqXqLlk
Originally published July 1, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 5 minutes, 37 seconds
brogrammer
Is being a brogrammer a good thing?
Originally published June 28, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 17 seconds
strangler
Not just a murderer, folks, as automotive engineers and technologists know.
Originally published June 24, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 25 seconds
Kelvin
Discussing this scale to measure average kinetic energy of matter.
Originally published June 21, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 2 minutes, 31 seconds
autogyro
How is an autogyro different from a helicopter?
Originally published June 17, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 2 minutes, 41 seconds
magic smoke
All hail and all fear the magic smoke!
Originally published June 14, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 2 minutes, 39 seconds
revolute
Describing revolute joints.
Originally published June 10, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 2 minutes, 52 seconds
polymorphism
Not to be confused with biological polymorphism, polymorphism in programming languages can add robustness to your engineering code.
Originally published June 7, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 26 seconds
adiabatic
Compare and contrast: "adiabatic" versus "a diabetic"?
Originally published June 3, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 2 minutes, 44 seconds
S.W.E.
SWE wants to "stimulate women to achieve full potential in careers as engineers and leaders," among other goals.
Originally published May 31, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 2 minutes, 5 seconds
eutectic
Talking about eutectic points of solid mixtures.
Originally published May 27, 2017.
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 48 seconds
Wronskian
Discussing the "Wronskian" of differential equations.
Originally published May 24, 2017
6/10/2022 • 4 minutes, 5 seconds
brainwriting
Explaining the collaborative idea generation technique of brainwriting.
Originally published May 20, 2017
6/10/2022 • 3 minutes, 13 seconds
iterate
Engineering Word Of The Day: iterate
Originally published May 17, 2017