I have done all of these things, and I know when it's appropriate and when it's not. The trick isn't that I can "come up with the vibration amplitude of a forge

I have done all of these things, and I know when it's appropriate and when it's not. The trick isn't that I can "come up with the vibration amplitude of a forged 316 stainless shaft", but that I know how I could do that. Over and over, I've seen the effects of failing to understand the abstractions (formula tables) that people are using to develop software. It's that fundamental base understanding that, in my opinion, can propel someone from pretty good to exceptionally awesome.