APSC 100 Flashcards
Mid-term Prep
Iron Ring
The iron ring acts a reminder for engineers in Canada of their responsibility and obligation to uphold the high standards of engineering, to act ethically, and to protect the public. It was established after the 1907 Collapse of the Quebec Bridge.
What hand is the iron ring worn on?
The little finger of an engineer’s writing hand so it touches the pages of each drawing, calculation, or document they sign.
Profession
A group of people who have a specialized knowledge of skills, have received special education or training, adhere to ethical standards, and apply their knowledge and skills to help others.
What is the profession of engineering regulated by in Canada?
Engineers Canada
True or False?
A person needs to be licensed in order to call themselves an engineer.
True
Design (general definition)
The process of imagining, creating, and producing things. This definition can get confusing because people refer to “design” as the process of creating something and to the object that is created.
Engineering Design
A process used to solve real-world, open-ended problems.
Real-world
Practical applications
Open-ended
Understand that design problems don’t have single, well-defined problems. To also know there are many possible solutions and many methods to arrive there.
What is the purpose of engineering?
To solve practical problems that are meaningful for people, society, or the planet.
True or False?
Engineering design is not a systematic and structured process.
False, it is.
What is the role of an engineer?
To understand and define the problem and to develop and implement the “best solution.”
Novice Approach to Design
Attempt to immediately find a solution to a problem and go about this process through trial and error. In the end, this process ends up being more expensive, time consuming, and takes more resources.
What are the stages of the design process?
0) Problem
1) Study & Clarify the Problem
2) Generate potential solutions
3) Identify the most promising solution
4) Develop & Test the solution
5) Implement the solution
Iteration: Review and revise the solution throughout the design process
Stage 1
Defining the problem, learning about the problem context, learning about the perspectives of stakeholders by understanding their needs and turning those needs into design specifications.
Stage 2
Identify as many possible solutions by focusing on quantity rather than quality because we want a broad range of ideas.
Stage 3
Applying the design specifications from stage 1 to screen out any ideas that don’t meet the target design specifications, then rank and score the remaining ones.
Stage 4
Analyze, refine, and develops the solution.
Stage 5
Final construction, communication, and delivery of the solution. Also consider operation, maintenance, recycling, etc.
Actual Costs
The total amount of money, effort, and resources we have spent up to a particular time as we complete the project.
Costs Committed
The sum of money, effort, and resources we have already spent and the amount we will need to spend in the future based on our decisions to date.
Where does the most spending occur in the design process?
Developing & implementing the solution
True or false?
It costs less to make a major change earlier in the project rather than later on?
True
True or false?
The decisions we make early in the project determine most of the spending that comes later in the project?
True
What does the costs committed curve represent?
The cost to address a major mistake made at a given point that goes undetected until late in the project.
What the difference in the costs committed and actual costs curve represent?
The difference represents the future costs we still have some ability to change.
