As in most industries, engineering is increasingly benefiting from mobile apps that make the job easier. Apps liberate engineers to complete required analyses on site and do quick calculations on their smartphones and tablets. And as is also true across all business and science sectors, apps are the wave of the future.
As noted by Harvard Institute for Applied Computational Science lecturer David Knezevic, “Apps will become more appealing as time goes on. It’s an irreversible trend.”
5 Current Mobile Applications to Assist the Engineering Industry
Graphing Calculator
This free app turns your iPad or iPhone into a high-resolution function plotter and scientific calculator. It is simple to use but offers powerful options such as arithmetic functions and exponentiation, available at your fingertips. Additional features include:
- Quick plotting and tracing of multiple equations onto the same graph.
- A custom keyboard to speed up the entering of equations.
- Pinch-to-zoom and drag or slide for scrolling graphs to real time.
- Capability to take screen shots and email graphs.
- A unit converter.
TouchCalc
Also a free app, TouchCalc is a colorful calculator and one of the most touch-friendly iPhone apps available in today’s market. It crams a lot of function buttons onto its interface, yet still makes them easy to select for even the most thick-fingered user. TouchCalc has three different modes:
- Scientific: This allows for standard functions such as basic arithmetical operations, power, logarithms and roots.
- Bit/integer: This mode enables logical operations on a bit level.
- Statistical: This helps you create samples by adding several values and then calculating mean, median, quantil value, variance, standard deviation and range.
Mechanical Engineer
In addition to more than 300 formulas and an equal number of conversion formulas, Mechanical Engineer includes 70 area formulas. This app is priced at $5.99. Areas covered include:
- Bearings
- Belts
- Boilers
- Brakes
- Clutches
- Elevators
- Gears
- Fluid power
- Heat transfer
- Internal combustion
- Kinetic energy
- Power plants
- Shaft springs
- Vehicle drive
Mechanical Engineer is part of MultiEducator’s Formulator line for iPhones and iPads.
LuxCalc Fluid Prop
For those involved in thermal analysis, this mechanical engineering app allows the quick and accurate (within 5 percent) calculation of the thermophysical properties of common fluids found in heat transfer books such as:
- Specific heat
- Absolute and kinematic viscosity
- Thermal expansion
Priced at just $.99, the app features information adapted from the most commonly-used reference sources and eliminates the need to carry bulky heat transfer books from site to site. Another highlight is simple yet highly intuitive screen navigation.
HVAC Professional
Also a Formulator app, HVAC Professional includes all 200 HVAC formulas, along with 18 charts and the complete International Mechanical Code. A future upgrade will add the International Energy Code. Among a variety of sections are:
- Air change
- Boilers
- BTU conversions
- Ductwork
- Energy values
- Heating design
- Heating requirements
- Pumps
- Steam
- Temperature
- Waterside systems
- Area calculation
HVAC Professional cost $7.99. The international code update will be free for current users. To keep up with current technology to make your engineering job easier – and to access the latest job openings in your field – read our related posts or contact the specialized team at Premium Staffing today.