MINI EDUCATION
ENGINEERING
Engineering has an impact on every aspect of our lives – how we travel from place to place, what we wear, the buildings we live in, the televisions we watch or the computer games we play.

Think how different our lives would be without clean water piped directly to our homes, music played on MP3 players or the radio, or cars to allow us to travel. Engineers are responsible for all of this and much, much more.

Engineers are the people who turn concepts into reality. To be an engineer requires many skills - problem-solving, teamwork and creative thinking, as well as scientific, mathematical and design skills.

Right now, engineers are working on new inventions, designs and developments that may have an impact on our lives in the future. What will cars look like in 5, 10 or 20 years time? Will the buildings in our towns and cities look different in the future?

What would you like to invent and how would you go about it?
Engineering covers a wide range of topics, including how things are designed and manufactured, the materials that are used, the electronic systems that control how machines work and the procedures involved in maintenance.

Can you talk the torque? What did the space race have to do with car headlights? Why is a cyclist similar to a car engine? In this section you'll find out the answer to these questions and more fascinating facts as you look under the bonnet to discover the engineering technology used in car design.

Start exploring MINI Engineering by selecting one of the following topics:

> Engine power

> Engine performance

> Electronics

> Design and materials

To find out more about how MINI is made and recycled, visit the MINI Information section or take a tour of Plant Oxford.

Once you've discovered the engineering technology behind cars, test your knowledge with the MINI Engineering quiz:

> MINI Engineering Quiz (PDF)

> Answers (PDF) – hey, no cheating!
Sketching the MINI interior