Roy Lewallen wrote:


snip

How is any creative design accomplished? How did Armstrong come up with
the idea for FM, Watt for the steam engine? I've spent most of my career
doing circuit design, and it requires a deep knowledge of theory, but
also involves a creative synthesis not unlike what an artist has in
deciding what to paint or an architect in deciding what form a building
will take.

snip

Probably as well put as I've ever seen it and absolutely true.

Look at antennas such as Log Periodic, Slot, Turnstile. The design
Initially required more creative juices than engineering know-how. The
engineering came after they were visually created in the mind. I know
that to be a fact with the slot antenna. Some of the best engineers I
have known, are those who visualize the function and then confirm it
through calculation and measurement. In my opinion, these people are
more like artists than engineers.
For example, many people can put paint to canvas technically however,
only an artist can use the paint to create what appears to be a living
thing. The same holds true for engineers. The capable ones have the
knowledge base. However, the really really good ones have something
extra which is learned from books. Those are the special ones, the
inventors.


--
Over The Hill
__________________________________________________ ___________________________

The question of whether computers can think is like the question of
whether submarines can swim.

***Edsgar Dijkstra***