Engineering Design Process

Several college students want to design and build a solar-powered car. They have chosen a design. Which of the following should they do next to follow an engineering design process?

• Build a prototype of the car.

• Sell the design to a car company.

• Research the demand for solar-powered

  cars.

• Use the design to mass-produce solar-powered

  cars.

The development of computer simulations to model and test bridge designs has improved the safety of new bridges. Which of the following statements best explains why computer simulation has improved the safety of new bridges?

• Materials can be tested for defects

  before being purchased.

• Design flaws can be identified and

  corrected before construction.

• Plans can be sent electronically to

  other engineers for their review.

• D.

  Multiple types of building materials

  can be incorporated in one design.

Before releasing a newly designed video game to the public, the developer distributes the game to a few hundred people free of charge. After playing the game, the people complete a survey and return it to the developer. What part of the engineering design process does this scenario represent?

• redesign

• testing and evaluation

• selection of a solution

• construction of prototypes

During which stage of manufacturing a wooden rocking chair are the pieces of the chair fastened together?

• assembling

• conditioning

• finishing

• forming

Many types of models are used throughout the design process to help engineers create, develop, test, evaluate, and explain solutions. An automobile company is ready to test a new, full-size, fully operational model. This type of model is called a

• mockup.

• prototype.

• scaled system.

• control system.

During which of the following steps of the engineering design process would an engineer most likely use the Internet?

• identifying the problem

• constructing a prototype

• researching the problem

• selecting the best solution

A company is designing a new automobile brake system. After repeated testing of the brake system prototype, engineers presented a report to their company explaining that they discovered a major problem in the system.

Which of the following should the engineers do next?

• redesign the brake system

• build a full-scale version of the brake system

• identify the reasons for building the brake system

• evaluate the quality of the report about the brake system

In the 1800s, inventors built a device that could be used to send and receive encoded messages through electrical wires. Later inventors modified this technology to create voice-transmitting devices such as the telephone.

Which of the following is the original device upon which voice-transmitting devices were based?

• the radio

• the tape recorder

• the telegraph

• the television

A company is thinking of developing a hydrogen-powered motorcycle. Based on the engineering design process, which of the following tasks should the company complete next?

• Build a working prototype of the motorcycle.

• Produce engineering designs for the proposed motorcycle.

• Evaluate the efficiency of the proposed motorcycle’s engine.

• Conduct market research to find out if there is a need for the motorcycle.

The development of computer simulations to model and test bridge designs has improved the safety of new bridges. Which of the following statements best explains why computer simulation has improved the safety of new bridges?

• Materials can be tested for defects before being purchased.

• Design flaws can be identified and corrected before construction.

• Plans can be sent electronically to other engineers for their review.

• Multiple types of building materials can be incorporated in one design.