Re: Grease and waxes

On 11/16/2024 1:58 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

 I'm not sure what Tom "read out" but it probably wasn't the same
textbooks that were used in the then current college courses because
the libraries didn't stock those textbooks.

Even if Tom did read all the textbooks used in an engineering curriculum, he would gain only a tiny fraction of the knowledge imparted while earning a legitimate degree.
Classrooms and teachers exist for very good reasons. It should be obvious that knowledge at an engineering level normally requires explanation, because it's difficult to understand. I spent countless hours in class responding to student questions, and yet more hours in my office giving individual help to students.
And students don't just repeat what they've learned. They are given assignments - problems to solve, projects to complete, parts to design, lab experiments to perform, tests to run, and very difficult exams to pass to demonstrate that they know how to _apply_ the knowledge. Reading every textbook would involve none of that.
Recently, in a Barnes & Noble bookstore, I noticed this ludicrous book:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-degree-in-a-book-david-baker/1136270544
Right. "Everything you need to know - in one book!" Of course, it made me think of Tom.
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- Frank Krygowski