MECA 490

Spring 2021

Example Questions

About Week 1

1- What are the fundamental components of a mechatronics system? Explain briefly.

2- Briefly explain the three levels of mechatronics systems integration.
3- What is engineering design? Explain the multidisciplinary design and optimization process.

About Week 2

1- Write the elements of the design process.

2- How does project lifetime affect the cost? Discuss briefly.
3- What are engineering requirements in a design process? Give an example.
4- What are the typical constraints of an engineering design? Type three of them and discuss.
5- What are the reasons for worst cases and the helpful tool for worst-case design?
6- Write three methods of design methodologies. Explain top-down design.

About Week 4

1- What is a project? What are the limitations?

2- What are the characteristics of a project?
3- Compare a project with routine work. What are the differences?
4- What are the stages of a project lifecycle?
5- What is a work breakdown structure in a project?
6- What are the three goals of project management? Explain briefly.
7- What are the possible uncertainties in project management?
8- Why is risk management critical?
9- What is the essence of risk analysis?
10- What is the payback period in a project?
11- What is Net Present Value (NPV)?
12- A 3-year financial project is forecast to have net cash inflows of $ 12'000; $ 20'000; $ 28'000; in
the next three years. It will cost $ 45'000 to implement the project, payable at the beginning of
the project. If the required rate of return is 0.2, conduct a discounted cash flow calculation to
determine the NPV.
13- A 5-year financial project is forecast to have net cash inflows of $ 16'000; $ 21'000; $ 25'000; $
32'000; $ 42'000; in the next five years. It will cost $ 85'000 to implement the project, payable
at the beginning of the project. If the required rate of return is 0.2, conduct a discounted cash
flow calculation to determine the NPV.
14- What are the four categories of projects?
About Week 5

1- What is a Standard?
2- Why do Standards Exist?
3- Who Makes Standards?
4- How are Standards Developed and Structured?
5- Explain the three characteristics of standards briefly.
6- What are the differences between De Jure and De Facto standards?
7- The Value of Standards to a Company
8- The Value of Standards to Society
9- The Value of Standards to Consumers
10- Explain the life cycle of a standard.
11- Compare Prescriptive and Performance Standards.

About Week 9

1- What is risk management?

2- What are the key terms in risk management?
3- Write six risk management processes.
4- What is probability and impact matrix? Explain briefly.
5- What is Expected Monetary Value (EMV)?
6- Calculate EMV with optimistic, likely, and pessimistic outcomes with costs of $40K, $65K, $100K,
respectively. The probabilities of the outcomes are 20%, 40%, and 12%, respectively.

About Week 10

1- What is Ethics?
2- Why Do Engineers Need Ethics?
3- What are micro ethics and macro ethics in engineering?
4- What are the elements of micro ethics and macro ethics in research and engineering practice?
Compare.
5- Give an example of the engineering codes (IEEE, ASME, etc.). Discuss the meaning of the code.
6- Explain Method of Casuistry in ethics.
7- Discuss the Modified Nuffield Principles in terms of energy development.
8- Why is sustainable and renewable energy usage an ethical responsibility. Discuss.

About Week 12

1- Explain Level of Repair Analysis (LORA).

2- Explain economic screening criteria. How does a company decide on replacement or repair in a
units' life cycle?
3- What are the trade-off techniques in repair and maintenance analysis?
About Week 13

1- What is a patent?
2- What can be patented?
3- What can not be patented?
4- Compare a patent and a publication? Which were supposed to be revealed earlier to the public?
5- What are the three different types of patents?
6- What are the similarities and differences between a patent and a standard? Discuss.