a measurement system based on powers

of 10

the command given to a system; the known

quantities used in a design or program

what is produced by a system; the actual

result

the action part(s) of a system

smaller systems that often make up other,

larger systems

a system that has no way of moni-

toring and adjusting itself

a system that can respond and

change its inputs or outputs

a monitor of a system output

an instrument that compares the actual

output of a system with the desired output or result

a device that turns a process on or off, or

that changes it in some way

a model that uses equations

to describe how a product will function or

perform

a full-scale, fully operational version of a

solution

a model that is either larger or smaller

than the final product

the ability of a product, system, or pro-

cess to fulfill its intended purpose over its desired

life span

also called human factors engineering;

deals with designing products so they can be used

easily and comfortably

the way something looks and how that

affects people’s feelings

degree of excellence

the number of digits to the right of the

decimal point

a measure of how close together multi-

ple measurements of the same parameter are,

whether or not they are close to the actual value

a combination of accuracy and repeatability

often used when comparing

things of very different scales, such as a small rock

and a planet

a measure of how close a calculation or measurement is to the actual value

problems in which so much

information is missing that a solution seems

impossible

the digits considered reliable as a

result of measurement or calculation