Engineering Glossary & Terminology

PUE, liquid cooling, rack density, GPU pods, redundancy tiers, and grid interconnection terms defined in plain language.

Plain-language definitions of key NEC Article 100 terms and code concepts.

Major code changes between editions — AFCI/GFCI expansions, EV charging, energy storage.

Where GFCI protection is required in dwelling and non-dwelling locations.

Clearances, conductor sizing, disconnect requirements, and ground fault protection.

ANSI device numbers, THD, VFD, kAIC, and other power systems, protection, and testing acronyms defined in plain language.

AHU, VAV, VRF, MERV, COP, EER, SEER and 53 more acronyms defined.

Plain-language definitions of sensible/latent load, psychrometrics, static pressure, economizers, and more, with ASHRAE references.

Plain-language definitions covering thermodynamics, machine design, materials, and fluid mechanics.

A–Z reference covering civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, fire, and construction abbreviations.

Plain-language definitions of key NFPA 72 fire alarm terms — initiating devices, notification circuits, addressable systems, and standby power.

Standby power, battery sizing, and testing requirements for fire alarm systems.

Scope, design differences, and when each sprinkler standard applies by building type.

Plain-language definitions of sprinkler, standpipe, fire pump, clean agent, and foam suppression terms with NFPA standard references.

ASTM A615/A706 rebar sizes #3–#11 with diameter, area, weight, and grade table.

Design wind speed maps, exposure categories, and velocity pressure calculations.

Plain-language definitions of loads, load combinations, member behavior, connections, and code concepts from ASCE 7, ACI 318, and AISC 360.

Plain-language definitions of key DAS, BDA, ERRCS, link budget, and RF engineering terms.

Plain-language definitions of key IPC/UPC plumbing terms — traps, vents, backflow, fixture units, and more.

BIM vs CAD comparison — capabilities, industry adoption, learning curve, and career demand.

Plain-language definitions of LOD, worksets, families, clash detection, IFC, COBie, and more, with Revit and ISO 19650 references.

Plain-language definitions of model, tokens, embeddings, fine-tuning, RAG, agents, hallucination, and more.

Plain-language definitions of access control, video surveillance, intrusion detection, and perimeter security terms, with UL/NFPA/ONVIF references.

Plain-language definitions of key AI and machine learning terms — from overfitting and embeddings to RAG and MLOps.

PLC, RTU, HMI, Modbus, Purdue Model, fieldbus, and OT cybersecurity terms defined in plain language.

Plain-language definitions of 55 essential cybersecurity and OT/ICS security terms, from APT to zero trust.

Plain-language definitions of VLAN, BGP, OSPF, MPLS, QoS, SD-WAN, zero trust, and more networking terms.

Plain-language definitions of key solar, wind, storage, and interconnection terms with NEC 690/705 and IEEE 1547 references.

Plain-language definitions of API, CI/CD, microservices, load balancing, ORM, latency, idempotency, and more.

Plain-language definitions of angle of attack, Mach number, load factor, TSFC, static margin, and more, with FAR Part 25 references.

Plain-language definitions of key calculus, linear algebra, statistics, and numerical-methods terms every engineer should know.

Plain-language definitions of BOD, NPDES, activated sludge, hydraulic loading rate, Manning's equation, MCL, TMDL, and more, with EPA and Ten States Standards references.

Plain-language definitions of alloying, heat treatment, phase diagrams, fatigue, corrosion, and hardness terms with ASTM standard references.

Plain-language definitions of actuators, sensors, motion control, and embedded systems terms spanning mechanical, electrical, and software engineering.

BAS, BACnet, points, sequences of operation, IoT sensors, digital twins, and BAS cybersecurity terms defined in plain language.

Reactors, distillation, heat exchangers, process safety, and instrumentation terms defined in plain language, with ASME/API/ISA references.

CAD, PDM/PLM, FEA, parametric modeling, mesh convergence, version control, digital twins, and more, defined in plain language.

Degrees of freedom, end effector, DH parameters, PLC, encoder, IP rating, ROS, and safety-rated I/O terms defined in plain language, with ISO/RIA/IEC references.

OEE, takt time, DMAIC, kanban, MTBF, SPC, EOQ, and more lean, quality, and operations research terms defined in plain language.

CMOS, FPGA, ASIC, MOSFET, SPICE, wafer yield, and other semiconductor and electronics terms defined in plain language.

Scope creep, EVM, RACI, billable rate, change order, contingency, PDCA, and more project-management and consulting-firm business terms defined in plain language.

Biocompatibility, IEC 60601, ISO 13485/14971, implant fatigue, biosignals, and sterilization validation terms defined in plain language.