Can you read the writing on the 'ball"?

Stop me if you’ve heard this one… “Hey…what does the clock say?” “It doesn’t say anything, you have to read it!”  This old joke has special meaning in our household as our oldest, the college bound freshman, never quite made it a priority to learn to read an analog clock. Does this mean he never knows what time it is?  Of course not, there’s always a digital clock nearby.

You are probably thinking, “OK Vince, what does this have to do with design analysis?” Fair question…let me answer it by sharing a conversation I had with son #2, the high school junior-to-be. We were hauling sand from the front yard to the back in wheelbarrows. All noticed how the steel wheelbarrow was more stable than the aluminum one & there even was some concern about the aluminum frame collapsing. Most likely a buckling phenomenon, I shared with them…to blank stares. Then Erik asked me if the software I used could tell if the wheelbarrow would break or not. I almost said, “Yes.”  However, like the old clock joke, I responded instead, “No, you have to know how to read it.”

So, the next time your boss asks you to use that “FEA Stuff” to find out if a part is going to break, remember you can’t expect a Yes-or-No answer, it isn’t a Magic 8 Ball. You must first consider what you need to be able to read the analysis results. Is understanding the data a priority for you?

-- Vince