What Does “Understanding a Concept” Actually Mean in Engineering?
As engineering students, we often say things like “I understand this topic” or “I’ve studied this concept.” But when it’s time to apply that knowledge — in a project, simulation, exam, or real system — things suddenly feel unclear. So the real question is: What does “understanding a concept” actually mean in engineering? Is it memorizing formulas? Is it solving numericals? Or is it something deeper? From my learning experience so far, true understanding in engineering goes far beyond textbooks . 1. Memorizing Is Not Understanding Let’s be clear first. If you can: recall definitions write formulas solve only familiar problems that does not automatically mean you understand the concept. Memorization is just data storage , not comprehension. Many students can write equations for torque, PID control, or orbital motion — but struggle when: parameters change assumptions break systems behave unexpectedly That’s the gap between knowing and understandin...