1022020 Definitions 1 Definitions Staying Connected Technical Writing

10/2/2020 Definitions 1 Definitions: Staying Connected Technical Writing Fall 2018 / Mc. Call Courtesy of Mechanical Engineering – University of Detroit Mercy – Fall 2018

10/2/2020 Definitions 2 Why Use Definitions? Your Job: Build bridges between the reader and the information.

10/2/2020 Definitions 3 Types of Definitions • Parenthetical • Sentence • Expanded How complicated?

10/2/2020 Definitions 4 Parenthetical Definitions A simple, brief description through use of a synonym or an explanatory phrase. How complicated?

10/2/2020 Definitions Parenthetical Examples • Starbucks touts the aroma (spicy fragrance) of its coffee… • When a patient is ambulatory (walking), he/she may… • The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (sticker price)… • The substrate (underlying layer of material)… • When your formula is effervescent (bubbling)… • Make your dress hem asymmetrical (uneven)… • Pathologists study Toxicology (study of poisons)… 5

10/2/2020 Definitions Sentence Definitions A complete thought that provides meaning through the use of a term, its class, and its distinguishing features. How complicated? 6

10/2/2020 7 Definitions Parts of a Sentence Definition Term Class Distinguishing Features Dark Ages period of European • history • after the fall of the Roman Empire in 440 A. D. characterized by social and political unrest and little progress in arts and education

10/2/2020 8 Definitions Parts of a Sentence Definition Term Class Distinguishing Features Casting Type of part Produced by solidifying material in a mold [1]

10/2/2020 9 Definitions Parts of a Sentence Definition Term Class Distinguishing Features Mold Form made of sand, metal or other material Receives the melted material poured or injected into it, which is then allowed to solidify [1]

10/2/2020 10 Definitions Parts of a Sentence Definition Term Class Distinguishing Features Draft Taper given to a part So that it can be extracted from the mold [1]

10/2/2020 11 Definitions Parts of a Sentence Definition Term Class Distinguishing Features Tolerancing Dimensioning a part for Interchangeability [2]

10/2/2020 12 Definitions Parts of a Sentence Definition Term Class Distinguishing Features Tolerance Behavior In which a person listens to and respects the opinions, beliefs and practices of others [3]

10/2/2020 13 Definitions Parts of a Sentence Definition Term Class Distinguishing Features Pearl knotting jeweler’s technique of placing knots between cultured pearls to protect their luster when they are used in a bracelet or necklace

10/2/2020 14 Definitions Parts of a Sentence Definition Term Class Distinguishing Features Executive Chef person responsible for smooth running of the kitchen • planning & overseeing food preparation • managing food purchases • hiring kitchen staff • supervising kitchen staff

10/2/2020 15 Definitions Expanded Definitions • Begins with a sentence definition. • Adds further meaning through the use of: • etymology • history/background • familiar example How complicated? • well-labeled graphic • analysis of parts of the object/concept • comparison/contrast • basic operating principle • special materials or conditions needed

10/2/2020 Definitions 16 Expanded Definition Example etymology term Derived from the Greek word that means “wanderers, ” category the term plankton is applied collectively to all the minute plants and animals that live at or near the surface of oceans or lakes. Some members of the plankton distinguishing features family are wholly passive and drift to and fro with the currents; others are able to swim about actively in search of food. All, however, are subject to the strongeroperating principle movements of the surface waters…. [4]

10/2/2020 Definitions 17 Expanded Definition Example distinguishing features term category A tomato is a fruit commonly mistaken for a vegetable. Botanically, it is a berry. Its fruit is mildly acidic, pulpy and usually red in color. The tomato is a Backmember of the nightshade family of plants, which ground includes tobacco, belladonna, the potato, the petunia and eggplant. Native to Mexico and Central and South America, the tomato was introduced to Europe by History Sixteenth Century explorers. It was first regarded as poisonous but today is widely cultivated throughout the world as a food source. [5]

10/2/2020 18 Definitions Are Our Friends • They are verbal bridges between the unknown (new concept) and understanding. • Remember: • If you lose your reader, he or she stays lost. • If you allow a reader to make a decision, he or she often makes the wrong decision. • One of your responsibilities as a writer: Keep your audience with you!

10/2/2020 Definitions 19 References* [1] Plantenberg, K. , 10/1/2018, “Lecture: Advanced Drawing Techniques, ” ENGR 1021, University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, MI. [2] Plantenberg, K. , 2016, Engineering Graphics Essentials with Auto. CAD 2017 Instruction: Text and Video Instruction, SDC Publications, Mission, KS. [3] “Tolerance (adapted), ” accessed 10/31/2018, https: //www. dictionary. com/browse/tolerance. [4] Carson, R. , 1941, Under the Sea Wind, Simon & Schuster, New York. [5] Source unknown. *“ASME Journals Digital Submission Tool Guidelines and Information: Writing a Research Paper, ” accessed 11/1/2018, https: //www. asme. org/shop/journals/information-for-authors/journalguidelines/writing-a-research-paper.