indicating a slippery road, the highway department could have posted the following words on
a board: “Hey you, be careful. The road is slippery, and you could end up in a ditch!” Or they
could have installed a loudspeaker warning drivers: “Hey, be careful, slippery road ahead. You
could end up in a ditch.” Which is the most effective, efficient, and least expensive way of con-
veying the information? You understand the point of these examples and the question. Road and
traffic information can be conveyed inexpensively, quickly, and effectively using signs and sym-
bols. Of course, to understand the meaning of the signs, you had to study them and learn what
they mean before you could take your driving test. Perhaps in the future the new advancements
in technology will reach a stage that road and traffic information can be conveyed directly in a
wireless digital format to a computer in your car to allow your car to respond accordingly to the
given information! In that case, would you still need to know the meaning of the signs, and
would the highway departments need to post them?16.9 Examples of Common Symbols In Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering
and Mechanical Engineering
As the examples in the previous section demonstrated, valuable information can be provided in
a number of ways: through a long written sentence, orally, graphically or symbolically, or any
logical combination of these. But which is the more effective way? As you study various engi-
neering topics, not only will you learn many new concepts but you will also learn about the
graphical way that engineers communicate among themselves. You will learn about engineer-
ing signs and symbols that provide valuable information and save time, money, and space. These
symbols and signs are like a language that engineers use to convey their ideas, their solutions to530 Chapter 16 Engineering Drawings and Symbols
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