發明

發明（粵拼：faat3 ming4 | 英文：(to) invent）係指一種新嘅嘢或者技術第一次出現。發明可以分做一樣嘢嘅發明同埋一種方法嘅發明；而嘢嘅發明亦都唔限於有形嘅嘢，無形嘅嘢，譬如電腦程式等，都可以係一樣發明。

定位

首先，可以睇睇 2021 年不列顛百科全書對「工程學」一詞畀嘅定義^[1]：

「

粵譯：（工程學係）有創意噉應用科學原理，設計或者開發結構、機械、架生或者製造過程，（工程學又包括埋）將呢啲嘢單一或者結合噉用嘅工作；（又包埋）喺完全理解呢啲嘢嘅設計之下建造同運作呢啲嘢；（又包埋）或者係預測呢啲嘢喺特定運作情況下嘅行為；仲有係諗埋呢啲嘢嘅預期功能、運作上嘅經濟考量、以及係生命同財產嘅安全性（呢啲結構機械會唔會對生命同財產造成威脅）。

」

喺上面段嘢裡便，「創意」係一隻關鍵字，反映咗工程學同純科學間嗰條分野：工程學同純科學都要建基於已有嘅知識，逐漸噉縮窄研究嘅範圍，追求新嘅知識；兩者主要分別在於，工程學重視發明一啲全新嘅事物，而純科學就重視發現一啲前所未知嘅事物；舉例說明，喺愛迪生造出世上第一個電燈膽之前，世上並冇電燈膽呢樣嘢，所以愛迪生算係發明咗電燈膽；相比之下，想像而家海洋生物學家去深海考察，搵到一種前所未知嘅深海魚物種，嗰種魚不嬲都存在，不過係之前人類唔知佢哋存在噉解，所以班海洋生物學家只算係發現咗呢種魚^[2]^[3]。

睇埋

引咗

↑ Engineering. Encyclopedia Britannica. 原版英文："... the creative application of scientific principles to design or develop structures, machines, apparatus, or manufacturing processes, or works utilizing them singly or in combination; or to construct or operate the same with full cognizance of their design; or to forecast their behaviour under specific operating conditions; all as respects an intended function, economics of operation and safety to life and property."
↑ The Engineering Design Process 互聯網檔案館嘅歸檔，歸檔日期2019年6月9號，..
↑ Dornfeld, D., & Lee, D. E. (2008). Machine design for precision manufacturing (pp. 37-48). Springer US.

文獻

（英文） Asimov, Isaac. Asimov's Chronology of Science and Discovery, Harper & Row, 1989. ISBN 0-06-015612-0
（英文） Fuller, Edmund, Tinkers and Genius: The Story of the Yankee Inventors. New York: Hastings House, 1955.

[1] Engineering. Encyclopedia Britannica. 原版英文："... the creative application of scientific principles to design or develop structures, machines, apparatus, or manufacturing processes, or works utilizing them singly or in combination; or to construct or operate the same with full cognizance of their design; or to forecast their behaviour under specific operating conditions; all as respects an intended function, economics of operation and safety to life and property."

[2] The Engineering Design Process 互聯網檔案館嘅歸檔，歸檔日期2019年6月9號，..

[3] Dornfeld, D., & Lee, D. E. (2008). Machine design for precision manufacturing (pp. 37-48). Springer US.

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