CHEN 201 Exam 1

a situation, faced by an individual or a group of individuals, for which there is no obvious solution

problem

require that a hypothesis be proved or disproved.

research problem

when a person encounters a situation that he does not understand

knowledge problem

when equipment behaves in unexpected or improper ways

troubleshooting problems

frequently encountered by engineers, whose general approach is to describe physical phenomena with mathematical models

mathematics problems

always encountered in the real world. when there is never enough time, money, people, or equipment to accomplish the task

resource problems

can impact engineers in many ways. a factory may be loacted where there is a shortage of skilled labor because the local schools are of poor quality

social problems

must be poorly posed. these are the heart of engineering

design problems

1. problem identification

2. synthesis

3. analysis

4. application

5. comprehension

the steps to problem-solving

a process in which an individual or a team applies knowledge, skills, and understanding to acheive a desired outcome in an unfamiliar situation

problem solving

knowledge

experience

learning skills

motivation

communication

qualities of a good problem solver

the ability to logically break a problem into pieces

reductionism

Given

Find

Relationships

Solution

error-free problem solving steps

a physical entity to manipulate in order to solve a problem

manipulative models

1.) Understand the problem

2.) Find the connection between the data and the unknown

3.) Carry out your plan

4.) Exam the solution obtained

Polya's How to solve it list

ex.) map or cartesian coordinate system

reference frame

the limit of average acceleration as delta t approaches 0

instantaneous acceleration

length, temperature, volume, mass

dimension

term used to describe different dimensions

ex.) in, K, L, kg

unit

second

SI unit for time

meter

SI unit for length

kilogram (kg)

SI unit for mass

Kelvin (K)

SI unit for temperature

supplementary, base, and derived

Three different types of SI Units

cannot be given by algebraic expressions consisting only of the argument and constants

transcendental function

the extent to which the reported value approaches the "true" value and is free from error

accuracy

is the extent to which the measurement may be repeated and the same answer obtained

precision

result from many sources such as random noise in electronic curcuits and the inability to reproducibly read instruments

random errors

result from a measurement method that is inherently wrong

systematic errors

results from random errors and describes the lack of precision

uncertainty

used for counting

Hero's odometer

A form of calculator in which the results of multiplications were transcribed onto ivory rods

Napier's Bones

a simple device that uses algorithms to perform multiplication/division

Slide Rule

a programming technique in which programs and data a re swapped out of active memory into peripheral storage devices, thus "tricking" the computer into thinking it has more active memory than it actually does

virtual storage

multiple computers simultaneously work on a single problem , this arriving at a more rapid solution

parallel procession

a sequence of actions that will bring about the solution to a particular problem

algorithm

the physical device that gives the computer the ability to "store" a number

flip-flop

the part of the computer that does additions of binary numbers, tests two numbers to determine if one is larger, and jump to a different place in the sequence of instruction

central processing unit

the speed at which the computer performs a single operation

clock cycle

a numerical designation for a memory location

address

stores the memory location of the next instruction

program counter

a series of binary numbers that direct the CPU

machine language

uses english-like commands to generate machine language instructions

assembly language

a fundamental interface through which the user loads instructions on to the CPU, routes output to a printer, or saves work for later use

operating system

a term for the computer and the associated peripherals, such as the printer, disk drives, and networks

hardware

allows one PC to be used as a server to other computers

local area netowork

numbers used to measure continuous quantities (5.739 in)

real numbers

discrete numbers used for counting, like 5 apples

integers

characterized by many "go-to" statements that direct the flow of various parts of the program

spaghetti code

have a decision point in which a condition is evaluated within code

selection structures

will loop as long as a condition is true within a code

repetition structures

a rule that links a first number to a second number

operator

the most frequent cause of errors in engineering calculations

mistakes in unit conversions

a reference point used when making a measurement

a datum

formed by placing two reference points on the mercury-in-glass thermometer and evenly subdividing them into temperature intervals.