Engineering and Design Quiz

Which activity would more likely be performed by engineers than by scientists?

• explaining how forces impact matter

• collecting data and developing theories

• applying scientific principles to design a structure

• investigating a phenomenon to understand how it works

Which of these describes a risk of an engineering design?

• a disadvantage of a solution

• a favorable effect of a solution

• an advantage that may happen

• a cost that may or may not happen

A product designer is deciding whether to use wood or plastic for a knife handle. Which of these describes a tradeoff involved in this decision?

• Plastic is the best solution because it is more durable.

• Wood is the best solution because it is easier to hold and looks better.

• Wood is good for knives that are used to cut with precision or are given as gifts.

• Plastic is good for knives that are used a lot even though it can sometimes be slippery.

Which type of stress on rock creates a strike-slip fault?

• shear

• reverse

• tension

• compression

An engineer is working on two different projects. In the first project, cost is a criterion. In the second project, cost is a constraint. Which statement would best help to explain this?

• In the first project, the cost of the project is minimized, while in the second project, the cost is maximized.

• In the first project, the cost of the project is maximized, while in the second project, the cost is minimized.

• In the first project, cost is a limitation on the design, while in the second project, low cost is a desirable feature.

• In the first project, low cost is a desirable feature, while in the second project, low cost is a limitation on the design.

Which of these best describes a cost-benefit analysis?

• an analysis of the environmental cost of a solution

• an analysis of the cost of repeating the design process

• an analysis of the pros and cons of a proposed solution

• an analysis of the likelihood of finding an optimal solution

What is a load on an engineering structure?

• the net force on the walls of a structure

• the external forces due to the environment

• the separate forces that act on each section of a structure

• the internal forces between neighboring materials in a structure

Which of these best describes the way in which civil engineers balance forces in a structure?

• by making sure the net force on each section is zero

• by making sure the stress and load on each section are equal

• by designing support structures for each wall with compression stress

• by designing layers that transfer the normal force from the walls to the ground

Which step is used by engineers to optimize a solution?

• repeating the design process and making changes

• identifying the benefits of the first design that works

• using any material that is easily available to reduce cost

• identifying and managing risks after the design has been built

________ is the creative application of technology to design a system, product, or process to solve a given problem or meet a given need.

• Social Design

• Mechanical Design

• Engineering Design

• Problem Design