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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 7 page paper is a review of the book "Small Things Considered" by Henry Petroski. Bibliography lists 1 source.
Page Count:
7 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_HVPetros.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
to his credit. He is a great believer in learning from mistakes; one of his other works is entitled To Engineer is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design,
in which he argues that engineering failures can often teach better lessons more quickly than successes can. He takes an unconventional approach to his subjects, using humor and examples to
get his points across. Although hes an engineer, his style is clear and concise, and even people who are not technically minded will follow him with ease. Petroski has
considered such engineering disasters as the 1940 collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (fondly known as "Galloping Gertie" for the extreme twisting motion it exhibited in the wind) and the
walkway collapse at the Hyatt Regency in Kansas City in 1981. But here he turns to much less serious stuff, and considers the design and engineering of the things we
take for granted and use on a daily basis. He considers everything from paper cups to water glasses, from the Brita pitcher to an idea for a mile-long supermarket. Its
wacky and wonderful, and allows us to consider every-day objects from a new perspective. One of his main points is that designers, engineers and psychologists all look at objects in
different ways. Another, even more important point is that good design isnt perfect design; indeed, there is no such thing as perfect design because perfection is impossible. What there is
instead, is "good enough"-a compromise that gets the job done effectively, efficiently and economically, even though its not the very best it can be. No matter how good the product
is, or how long its been around, there is always room for improvement. He recounts the time a public radio show host asked her listeners to call in with their
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