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here is the crux, for me. understanding the thermodynamics of gases and mechanical properties of steel are what help you build a combustion engine. i think thi

here is the crux, for me. understanding the thermodynamics of gases and mechanical properties of steel are what help you build a combustion engine. i think this is the point of the article, that stepping through code doesnt help you understand why things happen. when you know that pressure is proportional to the temperature and the inverse of the volume, and that steel yields at 36K psi, you understand why the piston shaft keeps breaking. those transparent materials and magic devices lets you watch the engine block crack in slow motion -- do they help you learn why that happened?

xg15 10y ago
You need to know those properties. But they are usually a strong simplification of reality. They will help you not to completely botch your engine design. But the see-through engine could also show you that your particular design of the pipes leads to pressure being above threshold at that particular point - and can give you clues to investigate further. Which I think is why the closest equivalent to magic see-through engines - simulations - are actually used in engine design.