Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I need to know the difference between an architect and an engineer?

Hi Levi,
For that sort of question, I would recommend looking the words up in a dictionary. Here is one that should work for you:
http://dictionary.reference.com/

If you have any questions about the definitions that you find there, please ask!

Chris

Hi Levi S.,

In addition to the guidance provided by ChrisG, it would be useful if you told us the context of your question.

If the software projects I was involved with, the architect was responsible for the overall system design, while the engineer was responsible for individual programs. The engineers worked within the design laid out by the architect.

In other words, the high-level system design was provided by the architect. The architect's work came first. It was followed by the work of the engineers.

Hello,

This is a common question.
An architect is a person who scales and draws up the plans to build infrastructure, such as a house or building.
An engineer is a person who actually figures out how to build the planned infrasturucture.
I would recommend that you google the the two occupations to find out further details.

SB

Given this is the math and computer science forum, it is worth pointing out a couple other forms of architecture that are different from the commonly understood profession of designing buildings. That is, computer architecture and software architecture.

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org) has good overviews of what is meant by both computer and software architecture. Unlike the building designer, though, one typically becomes an engineer to go into these architecture career paths. For example, most computer architects are either computer engineers or electrical engineers. Similarly, most software architects are computer engineers or software engineers.

Mike

Hello,
Although Wikipedia is conveinient, sometimes the information is incorrect.
Watch out when using wikipedia and always use multiple sorces.
Best of Luck!

Hi SRGT BUBBLES,

Thanks for pointing out your comment about wikipedia. In fact, your comment is true about any information on the web.

I know I often give a web reference as the answer to a query, as do may of my fellow experts. With any luck, we have determined that the information that we're passing along is factual. There is a safety net: the other people on the board can, and I hope do, point out errors. But, please be skeptical.

The comment you make of multiple sources is good. Remember, however, that one source may just be collecting information from another source, without attribution. So it always pays to be cautious, even if there are multiple sources.

Hello Levi,

The difference between an architect and an engineer is the things they create. An architect designs and builds structures like buildings and houses, but an engineer designs and builds newer technologies like computers and even airplanes!!