DT Key Concepts GCSE (OCR 9-1)

What is a stakeholder?

People who have an interest in a product

What is a primary user?

The person or group of people who will use a product

What is a design context?

The situation a design solution is intended for

What is globalisation?

Businesses and organisations operating globally and developing international influence

What are the four considerations that must be made when designing a product?

Social, cultural, moral and economic

What is sustainable economic growth?

Development satisfying economic needs of humans, without compromising those of future generations

What is the usability of a product?

How easy a product is to use

What is ergonomics?

How people interact with a product

What is inclusive design?

Designing for the widest possible range of consumers

What are anthropometrics?

How the sizes of human bodies can influence design

What are aesthetics?

Factors associated with the nature and beauty of a product

What is the golden ratio?

A mathematical ratio found in nature that can be used to create natural looking products

What is disassembly?

Taking apart a product to examine it in detail

What is marketing?

Promoting and selling a product

What is market pull?

A need for a product that arises from customers to solve a certain need

What is technology push?

Where new research and technology leads to new products on the market

What is twenty-first century design?

Current, forward-thinking design that considers current trends and involves future consideration

What is a throwaway society?

A society influenced by consumerism, affecting the environment

What is a circular economy?

Where resources are used for as long as possible to regenerate products, leading to a cradle-cradle model

What is an emerging technology?

A new technology that is currently being developed

What is artificial intelligence?

Where computer programs 'learn' to perform their functions better than originally programmed, without the interference of humans

What are biometrics?

The identification of a user by physical appearance

What is virtual reality?

A computer-simulated environment that can be a simulation of the real world or an imaginary world

What are drones?

Unmanned flying objects with the potential to carry out certain roles

What is planned obsolescence?

The business practice of deliberately out-dating products before the end of its useful life

What are the six 'R's?

Rethink, reuse, recycle, repair, reduce, refuse

What are some examples of artificial intelligence?

Email inbox spam, car robots, smart personal assistance

What are some examples of biometrics?

Apple iPhone fingerprint scanners, biometric passports, facial recognition

What are some examples of virtual reality?

PlayStation VR, pilot training

What are some examples of drones?

'Blue Planet 2' drone filming, police surveillance, Amazon 'Prime Air' parcel delivery

What is a battery?

A self contained chemical power pack that can produce a limited amount of electrical energy

What is fair trade?

Trade in which fair prices are paid to producers in developing countries

What is oblique drawing?

Simple 3D sketches with added depth to display a design or idea

What is a perspective drawing?

A 3D sketching technique that shows objects in proportion

What are sketch models?

Quick models made from easy-to-work-with materials to give a 3D representation of a design or idea

What are the disadvantages of sketch models?

They are often small, inaccurate and weak

What are the advantages of sketch models?

They are quick to make, give a representation of what a design might look like and they are made out of low-cost materials

What is UCD (user centred design)?

Design based on the understanding of users, the tasks they do and the environments they will use the product in

What is involved in UCD (user centred design)?

Focus groups, usability testing, participatory design, interviews and questionnaires

What is collaboration in design?

Working with others for mutual benefit

What is paper (and boards) measured in?

Gsm (grams per square meter)

What is corrugated cardboard?

A piece of fluted sheet sandwiched between two pieces of card to increase strength

What is card?

A thicker version of paper available in a wide variety of colours and sizes

What is corriflute?

Extruded corrugated plastic similar in structure to corrugated cardboard and is used for outdoor signs, plastic containers, packaging and for modelling

What is Styrofoam?

Expanded polystyrene foam with a blue tint and is used in insulation for caravans, boats, coolers and lorries and for models in design

What is hardwood?

Slow-growing wood which is dense, hard and heavy from deciduous trees

What is softwood?

Fast-growing wood which is cheaper than hardwood and usually softer, with it coming from coniferous trees

What is a ferrous metal?

A metal containing iron

What is a non-ferrous metal?

A metal which doesn't contain iron

What is an alloy?

A metal made by combining two or more metals

What is plastic memory?

The ability of thermo polymers to return to their original state after reheating

What is a mechanism?

A series of parts that work that work together to control forces and motion

What is a system?

A set of mechanical or electronic parts that work together to produce a desired output

What is a force?

A push, pull or twist

What is rotary motion?

Motion in a circular shape

What is linear motion?

Motion in a straight line

What is oscillating motion?

Motion in a circular shape but moving backwards and forwards

What is reciprocating motion?

Motion back and forwards in a straight line

What is an input?

The type of motion put into a mechanism

What is an output?

The type of motion a mechanism produces

What is a lever?

A rigid bar that is free to turn around a fulcrum

What is the load from a lever?

The output force of a lever

What is a fulcrum

The pivot around which a lever turns

What is the effort of a lever?

The input force of a lever

What is the arm length?

The distance between the force being exerted and the fulcrum

What is a cam and follower?

A mechanism which converts rotary motion (cam) into reciprocating motion (follower)

What is a pinion?

A small driver gear (smaller than the driver gear)

What is a shaft?

A rod that transfers the rotation through a mechanism

What is a simple gear train?

A pair of gears consisting of a driver gear and a driven gear

What is a spur gear?

A toothed wheel

What is torque?

A turning or twisting force

What is lubrication?

A substance applied to reduce friction between moving parts

What is a pulley and belt drive?

A method of transferring rotary motion between two shafts

What is a linkage?

A component used to direct forces and movement to where they are needed

What is a subsystem?

A section of a system with a specific role

What is a system diagram?

A diagram of interconnections and flow of signals in an electronic system

What is embedding?

Customising a microprocessor to be permanently placed within a product

What is a microcontroller?

A special-purpose microprocessor that adds functionality to a product

What is a physical quantity?

Something that can be measured, e.g light, temperature or speed

What is a program?

A set of instructions to tell a micro-controller how to carry out a task

What is a sensor?

A component that produces a signal in response to a specific physical quantity

What is a signal?

An electrical voltage that is used to represent information

What is latching?

A switch that stays on (or off) after a button is released

What is a momentary switch?

A switch that stays on only while it is held down

What is a piezo switch?

An electrical switch which generates an electric charge from a piezoelectric element, which turns on a field effect transistor, which causes the switch to be on or off

What is cloud computing?

A network of online servers that store and manage data

What is the internet of things?

Where two electrical devices connect within the existing internet infrastructure, to send and receive data without human intervention eg. bluetooth

What is nanotechnology?

Technology on a microscopic scale

What are economies of scale?

The cost advantages that manufacturers obtain due the size output or scale of their production

What is cellulose?

Wood fibres; an organic compound, structurally important in plant life

What is recycled paper?

Paper made from used paper products

What is virgin fibre paper?

Paper made from 'new', unused wood fibres

What does it mean if something is lightweight?

It weighs very little

What does rigid mean?

It is difficult to bend

How can structural integrity be increased?

Folding and triangulation

What is embossing?

A method of giving paper and card three-dimensional areas by creating a risen area using heat and pressure and a mold

What is CAD?

Computer-aided design

What is CAM?

Computer-aided manufacture (eg. laser cutter)

What is a milling machine?

CNC machines which use a rotating cutter to remove material from a surface

What is CNC?

Computer numeric control