Engineering Design: Lecture (15/15) Flashcards
What is “natural philosophy”? Mark all correct options.
A) The branch of philosophy that focuses on engineering.
B) The branch of philosophy that focuses on the human nature.
C) It includes both scientific and philosophical questions in modern terminology.
D) The predecessor of modern science.
C) It includes both scientific and philosophical questions in modern terminology.
D) The predecessor of modern science.
Contrast science and engineering in terms of the way they traditionally acquired and transmitted knowledge. Mark all correct options.
A) Natural philosophy generally transmitted knowledge in a way similar to engineering.
B) Knowledge in natural philosophy was transmitted through books and lectures.
C) Engineering methods have always been centralized and developed systematically.
D) Engineering textbooks have been one of the main ways of transmitting engineering knowledge at least since medieval times.
E) Working under a master stonemason on constructing an aqueduct, while learning the craft from him, was a typical way of becoming an engineer.
F) Engineering methods used to be developed locally by trial and error.
B) Knowledge in natural philosophy was transmitted through books and lectures.
E) Working under a master stonemason on constructing an aqueduct, while learning the craft from him, was a typical way of becoming an engineer.
F) Engineering methods used to be developed locally by trial and error.
Which of the following belong to the three principles that characterize technical artefacts? Mark all correct options.
A) Technical artefacts aid the user in tasks that would be more difficult to perform without them.
B) Technical artefacts are material objects.
C) Technical artefacts fulfil a certain function.
D) Technical artefacts realize their functions in virtue of their physical properties.
B) Technical artefacts are material objects.
C) Technical artefacts fulfil a certain function.
D) Technical artefacts realize their functions in virtue of their physical properties.
What is meant with the “dual nature” of artefacts? Mark all correct options.
A) It entails that artefacts can be completely characterized by their functions.
B) It entails that artefacts cannot be characterized only by their physical properties.
C) It concerns the physical properties and the functions of the artefacts.
D) It means that artefacts are characterized by two things, one of which can be reduced to the other.
B) It entails that artefacts cannot be characterized only by their physical properties.
C) It concerns the physical properties and the functions of the artefacts.
What is the incidental use of an object? Mark all correct options.
A) The incidental use of an artefact is the use that the designer intended for it.
B) Using a saw to cut off a plank is an example of incidental use.
C) Using a book as a plant press is an example of incidental use.
D) The incidental use of an artefact is not the use that the designer intended for it.
C) Using a book as a plant press is an example of incidental use.
D) The incidental use of an artefact is not the use that the designer intended for it.
What is the distinction between functional ascription and functional assignment? Mark all correct options.
A) An artefact gets its functional assignment by the engineer who designs it.
B) An artefact can be ascribed a function that it was not designed to fulfil.
C) If an artefact gets its function by ascription, then it can meaningfully be seen as misused.
D) When Alice uses the coin to tighten the screw, she ascribes it the function of ‘screw turner’.
E) When Alice uses the coin to tighten the screw, she assigns it the function of ‘screw turner’.
A) An artefact gets its functional assignment by the engineer who designs it.
B) An artefact can be ascribed a function that it was not designed to fulfil.
D) When Alice uses the coin to tighten the screw, she ascribes it the function of ‘screw turner’.
Which of the following are examples of artefact misuse? Mark all correct options.
A) Using a telescope to observe the moon is an example of artefact misuse.
B) Using a gun to kill someone is an example of artefact misuse.
C) Using your colleague’s equipment instead of your own is an example of artefact misuse.
D) Using a library card to try to get through the subway entry gates is an example of artefact misuse.
D) Using a library card to try to get through the subway entry gates is an example of artefact misuse.
Under which condition does assignment establish a stronger normative claim about an artefact? Mark the correct option.
A) When the assignment is done by nature.
B) When the assignment is done by the user.
C) When the assignment is done by the designer.
D) When users have no doubt about what function is assigned to the artefact.
C) When the assignment is done by the designer.
What is the core definition of design? Fill in the blanks (match 1-3 with A-C)
A (1) that (2) that satisfies (3)
A: develops a physical description
B: a functional description
C: process
1 - C
2 - A
3 - B
Which of these questions need to be answered in the process of designing a device? Mark all correct options.
A) What scientific theories govern the functions of the device?
B) What physical structures can satisfy the functions?
C) What is the profit of a successful version of the device?
D) How can the device be produced?
E) What functions should the device satisfy?
B) What physical structures can satisfy the functions?
D) How can the device be produced?
E) What functions should the device satisfy?
What kinds of knowledge occur in the design process but are not scientific knowledge? Mark all correct options.
A) Knowledge about general principles
B) Organizing theory and data around natural kinds
C) Device- or context-specific knowledge
D) Non-specific knowledge aimed at understanding and explanation
E) Organizing theory and data around functional kinds
F) Only knowledge about devices that are still useful
G) Knowledge about functional demands
C) Device- or context-specific knowledge
E) Organizing theory and data around functional kinds
F) Only knowledge about devices that are still useful
G) Knowledge about functional demands
The following statements all describe ways of improving a functional description, but what functional requirement is improved upon? Match each statement with the right requirement (A-D with 1-3)
A) “The original description said that the bike frame should be made out of light and flexible steel, but I removed ‘steel’, from the description, because lightness and flexibility are the functions we are interested in.”
B) “I added ‘reinforced top tube’ to the description of the bike frame, because testing shows that many users sit on the top tube in a way that isn’t intended, making that part more likely to break.”
C) “The original description indicated that the bike frame should have clearance for 23 mm wide tyres, but I changed that to 35 mm, because we know that it is popular among users to change to wider tyres.”
D) “I specified that the bike frame should be able to pass stress tests with 100 000 pedal cycles at 1 300 newtons. This is to ensure that they are durable enough for normal use.”
1) Quantitative threshold criteria
2) Completeness and use-context
3) Implementation independence
A - 3
B - 2
C - 2
D - 1
What does the strategy of functional decomposition consist in? Mark all correct options.
A) Interpreting the function as part of a larger function with an existing solution.
B) Applying existing solutions to the subfunctions when appropriate.
C) Coming up with new solutions for each subfunction.
D) Analysing the function into several subfunctions.
B) Applying existing solutions to the subfunctions when appropriate.
D) Analysing the function into several subfunctions.
Suppose that you are designing a technical artefact and have identified a subfunction that lacks a standard solution. Which of the following is the best example of blind variation? Mark the correct option.
A) You blind yourself by not using any theoretical or empirical knowledge about what solutions might work or not. Instead, you make analogies to other technical artefacts to get an idea of solutions that might work. After that, you pick one of those solutions randomly and vary over the different subfunctions to see for which one it works.
B) Since there is no standard solution, you are blind to what solution will work. You utilize your theoretical and empirical knowledge to exclude solutions that won’t work. You then make analogies to other technical artefacts to get an idea of solutions that might work. After that, you vary over those solutions to see how well they work for the artefact that you are designing.
B) Since there is no standard solution, you are blind to what solution will work. You utilize your theoretical and empirical knowledge to exclude solutions that won’t work. You then make analogies to other technical artefacts to get an idea of solutions that might work. After that, you vary over those solutions to see how well they work for the artefact that you are designing.
Suppose that you have a list of 10 different processors that you think might satisfy the 30 threshold criteria that you require for the computer you are designing. Now you must decide which one to use. Which of the following alternatives are examples of optimizing and which are examples of satisficing? Match each description with the correct label. (A-C with 1-2)
A) You have tested processors 1-6 and none has fulfilled all 30 criteria, but processor 7 does, hence you choose that one.
B) You have tested all 10 processors and found that processors number 3, 4 and 9 are the ones that satisfy all 30 criteria. You choose processor 4, because that one scores the highest above the threshold criteria.
C) You have tested processors 1-4 and processor 4 satisfies all 30 criteria. You go on to test processors 5-10 to find out if there are any more that also satisfy all criteria.
1) satisficing
2) optimizing
A - 1 (satisficing)
B - 2 (optimizing)
C - 2 (optimizing)
