Introduction to Engineering Design Review

A comprehensive set of practice questions covering the fundamentals of engineering design, human factors, ethics, and professional standards.

What is the formal definition of Engineering Design?

The process of devising a system, component, or process to meet desired needs.

What are the fundamental blocks of the engineering design process?

Objectives.

What does the acronym ABET stand for?

Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

True or False: $10$ to $20\%$ of the life cycle costs of products occur during the usage phase.

False.

What are examples of realistic constraints that must be considered in the design process?

Economic factors, Safety, and Reliability.

What does the SMART criteria for objectives stand for?

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bounded.

What is the term for the process of finding answers to complicated questions or examining multiple aspects of an issue?

Research.

How is a Profession distinguished from an Occupation?

A profession is a job requiring special skills and qualifications with specialized, highly skilled knowledge, while an occupation involves specific tasks or activities.

Which element of professionalism involves relevant qualifications and continuing professional development?

Competence.

Which element of professionalism involves protecting public interests and social responsibility?

Public Obligation.

What is the primary basis for the problem definition, including objectives, constraints, and criteria?

The Client Statement.

Into which two categories can Design Objectives be divided?

Primary (need) and Secondary (want).

What is the consequence of failing to meet the primary objective in a design?

Without the primary objective, the design is a failure.

Which element of professionalism is a commitment to abide by a code of ethics?

Integrity.

Which stage of the design process involves building, analyzing, and testing a working prototype?

Construction, Analysis, and Testing.

What is the difference between Functional Specifications and Performance Specifications?

Functional Specifications describe what the product must do, while Performance Specifications are used to judge how good a design is.

What are the correct steps for constructing a Design Objective Tree?

Listing, Grouping, and Forming.

What refers to large individual human differences such as physical size and strength?

Obvious differences.

What refers to human differences such as culture, style, and skill?

Non-obvious differences.

Which type of human factors focuses on human interaction in a static sense, such as body dimensions?

Anthropometric Factors.

What are the three aspects of ergonomic factors?

Safety, comfort, and efficiency.

Which human factors are related to neurological, muscular, and sensory systems?

Physiological Factors.

Which human factors deal with the interpretation of information, decision making, and aesthetics?

Psychological Factors.

What is the 'Study of Work Laws' also known as in design?

Ergonomics Factors.

What are the four listed Creativity Stimulation Techniques?

Inversion, Morphological Analysis, Analogy, and Brainstorming.

What does the acronym SWOT stand for?

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats.

What does the acronym QOC stand for?

Questions Options Criteria.

What is 'Planned Obsolescence'?

A manufacturing decision by a company to make consumer products become out-of-date or useless within a known period.

What is the difference between Service Life and Product Life?

Service Life is the time a product operates properly without repair, while Product Life is the time a product stays in production before being replaced by a newer version.

How is Creativity differentiated from Innovation?

Creativity is a skill (the act of conceiving something original), whereas Innovation is a process (the implementation of something new).

What are the characteristics of Critical thinking versus Creative thinking?

Critical thinking is logical and convergent (left brain), while Creative thinking is lateral and divergent (right brain).

In the Design Cycle, which steps belong to Problem Formulation and which belong to Implementation?

Search belongs to Problem Formulation, while Plan belongs to Implementation.

What are the characteristics of engineering decisions?

Criteria are conflicting and often have varying levels of importance.

In a Decision Matrix, what do Weights and Rates represent?

Weights determine the importance of attributes (summing to $100$), while Rates judge alternative concepts on a scale from $1$ (worst) to $10$ (best).

What type of ethics serves as the basis for engineering ethics?

Preventative Ethics.

Engineering ethics is based on which two dimensions?

Thinking ahead to anticipate consequences and thinking effectively about those consequences.

What is the difference between Common Morality and Professional Ethics?

Common Morality is shared by most members of a society, while Professional Ethics is a code followed within a specific profession.

What does NSPE stand for?

National Society of Professional Engineers.

True or False: Professional obligations of engineers end with the fulfillment of a contract with a client.

False.