Engineering Design Process

A technology company has identified the need for a smaller laptop computer that weighs less, but they do not have enough knowledge about how to build it. 
What would be the next logical step engineers would take to design and produce this laptop computer?

• Build a new type of laptop battery
• Research current laptop technology
• Build a prototype computer

An emergency-equipment company makes warning-signal flares. The company wants to redesign  a flare so that it produces light for a longer period of time. 
After the company thinks of ideas, what is the next step in the design process?

• Build a prototype
• Define the problem
• Decide on the best solution

A group of engineers designed and constructed a flying car prototype. Their goal is for the car to enable people to safely fly to and from work instead of getting stuck in traffic jams.  
How will the engineers determine that this prototype meets their design requirements?

• Have a test pilot attempt to fly it from one location to another.
• See if the car can hover one meter above the ground for 20 minutes.
• Drive in the car at highway speeds on an interstate roadway at nighttime.

Engineers plan on developing a new drill for use on oil rigs. What should the engineers do first in order to develop the new drill?

• Conduct research on features for a new drill
• Determine the materials needed to build the new drill
• Build a prototype of the new drill

Some scientists want to design a system of instruments that will evaluate ocean currents, temperatures, and winds in order to predict weather patterns. 
What should they do before they produce the first complete working version of the system?

• Improve the design of the system
• Evaluate the results of the system
• Build a prototype of the system

What is the purpose of building a prototype?

• to test the product and make sure that it is the best solution to the problem
• to make sure that the product is in compliance with government regulations
• to determine the design constraints for the product

Technicians plan to develop a new type of keyboard that will have alphabet letters in different positions from a standard keyboard. Which will best help the technicians decide if the new keyboard is an improvement over the standard one?

• analyzing the problems that people have using standard keyboards
• asking people their opinions of how they like standard keyboards
• comparing the speeds at which people type on each style of keyboard

A design team built a prototype robot that is a vacuum cleaner. Their goal is for the robot to be able to vacuum people’s homes on its own with no human supervision. How will the team know if the robot prototype works after it is completed?

• Place it in someone’s home, and see if it can vacuum the carpets on its own.
• They should go ahead and build a prototype of this design.
• Place it in a grassy field, and observe to see if it can vacuum up dirt and sand.

Your group plans to build a model plant. When should you decide upon the criteria you will use to test your technological design?

• After the model is built
• after the model is tested
•  Before the model is built

A factory produced a new type of refrigerator designed to use less electricity. The machine was manufactured and sold to the public at Target, Wal-Mart, and K-Mart. After several months, reports showed that this refrigerator was not working correctly. 
Which choice below is the most likely cause?

• The proper cost analysis was not performed.
• The designers did not test other types of machines.
• They did not rigorously test and modify the prototype