Principles of Applied Engineering (Emergent Learning)

Chapter 3 Engineering Systems and Design

3.1 True/False Questions

1) There is only one way to solve problems.

Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

2) Objectives and observations are the same in the problem solving sequence.
Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

3) Estimation is the art of systematically making an educated guess about a solution without
actually solving the problem.
Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

4) About 90 degrees Fahrenheit is a good estimate of the average temperature during Summer in
Georgia.
Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

5) 20.050 has two decimal places.

Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

6) The following multiplication problem has 3 significant figures in the solution: (12.432)
(117.6752)
Answer:
Difficulty: Medium

7) You should report values in engineering calculations in a way that does not imply a higher
level of accuracy than is known.
Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

8) Units are the same as dimensions.

Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

9) The SI system (Le Système International d'Unités) and the metric system are different
measurement scales.
Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

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10) A system always has an input, a process, and an output.
Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

3.2 Multiple Choice Questions

1) Which of the following is NOT a part of the problem solving acronym SOLVEM?
A) Solve
B) Manipulation
C) Equations
D) Observations
Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

2) Which of the following is NOT an example of an observation?

A) The tank is cylindrical.
B) The gate is steel.
C) Fit the product within a 12-inch box.
D) The pulley is frictionless.
Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

3) Which of the following is NOT an example of a Fermi Problem?

A) Estimate the total number of hairs on your head.
B) Estimate the number of drops of water in all of the Great Lakes.
C) Estimate the number of piano tuners in New York City.
D) Solve the following problem: 5x + 2 = 10.
Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

4) Which is a method of estimation?

A) Estimation by analogy
B) Estimation using modeling
C) Estimation by upper and lower bounds
D) All of the above
Answer:
Difficulty: Medium

5) The number 370.0 has how many significant figures?

A) 3
B) 5
C) 4
D) 2
Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

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6) Zero is NOT significant when ________.
A) It is used to fix a decimal place
B) The zeroes are sandwiched in between two other numbers
C) It is never significant.
D) It is always significant.
Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

7) All of the following are dimensions EXCEPT ________.

A) Minute
B) Time
C) Temperature
D) Length
Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

8) All of the following are units EXCEPT ________.

A) Mile
B) Pounds
C) Kelvin
D) Weight
Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

9) All of the following are units in the metric system EXCEPT ________.
A) Foot
B) Meter
C) Liter
D) Gram
Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

10) What is a necessary element in a feedback loop?

A) Sensor
B) Comparator
C) Controller
D) All of the above.
Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

3.3 Completion Questions

1) A(n) ________ measure needs to be both accurate and repeatable.

Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

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2) A(n) ________ allows us to quantify a dimension.
Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

3) The metric system is based upon multiples of ________.

Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

4) The principles of engineering design include: functionality, quality, ergonomics, aesthetics,

maintainability, and ________.
Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

5) A(n) ________ is a group of interrelated parts that work together to produce a desired result.
Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

6) A(n) ________ is a system that has no way of monitoring or adjusting itself.

Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

7) A(n) ________ is a system that can respond to changes and adjust its inputs or outputs.
Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

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3.4 Matching Questions

Match each term with the correct definition below.

A) decimal places
B) repeatability
C) physically reasonable
D) precision
E) orders of magnitude
F) dimension
G) accuracy
H) Fermi problems
I) significant figures
J) reasonable precision

1) the number of digits to the right of the decimal point

Difficulty: Medium

2) problems in which so much information was missing that a solution seemed impossible
Difficulty: Easy

3) the number of digits in the answer commensurate with the level of accuracy and precision
available to us in the parameters of the problem
Difficulty: Easy

4) a term often used when comparing things of very different scales

Difficulty: Easy

5) a measure of how close together multiple measurements of the same parameter are and how
close a calculation or measurement is to the actual value
Difficulty: Medium

6) the answer makes sense in light of our understanding of the physical situation being explored
or the estimates that we can make
Difficulty: Easy

7) a measure of how close together multiple measurements of the same parameter are, whether or
not they are close to the actual value
Difficulty: Medium

8) a measurable physical idea; it generally consists solely of a word description with no numbers
Difficulty: Medium

9) the digits considered reliable as a result of measurement or calculation

Difficulty: Easy

10) a measure of how close a calculation or measurement is to the actual value

Difficulty: Medium
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3.5 Short Answer Questions

1) Why should you sketch out "easy" or "simple" problems?

Answer:
Difficulty: Easy

2) On a trip from Alphaville to Betaville, you can take two main routes. Route 1, which goes
through Gammatown, is 50 kilometers [km] long; however, you can only drive an average speed
of 36 miles per hour [mph]. Route 2 travels along the freeway, at an average speed of 50 mph,
but it is 65 km long. How long does it take to complete each route? State the time for each route
in minutes [min].
Answer:
Difficulty: Medium

3) Briefly describe the engineering design process and how it helps in problem solving.
Answer
Difficulty: Difficult

4) Describe a way the engineering design process can be used to solve real world problems.
Answer:
Difficulty: Difficult

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