PLTW ENGINEERING ESSENTIALS
COMPREHENSIVE QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS
◉ What is the most effective way to generate potential solutions
to a problem? How many alternate solutions should you generate?
Answer: Brainstorming with a group, research and testing
possible solutions.
◉ What is the definition of engineering?
Answer: Engineering is the application of mathematics and
scientific principles to better or improve life.
◉ What is an engineer?
Answer: An engineer is a person who is trained in and uses
technological and scientific knowledge to solve practical
problems.
◉ What types of work do engineers do?
Answer: Research, Develop, Design, Supervise, Manage,
Production and Construction, Operations, Plant Management and
Sales.
◉ Why keep an engineering notebook?
,Answer: An engineering notebook is recognized as a legal
document that is used in patent activities to: prove the origin of an
idea that led to a solution, prove when events or ideas occurred,
prove diligence in turning the idea into a solution, prove when an
idea became a working solution or "reduced to practice."
◉ What are the four best practices for the engineering notebook?
Answer: Be neat, accurate, legible and thorough.
◉ Explain the concept of proportion.
Answer: Paying close attention to the underlying basic shapes and
the relative proportions of various features of the object will allow
you to more accurately reflect the true shapes and proportions of
the object in your sketch.
◉ Why would the ability to create realistic sketches make a
person a more competent designer?
Answer: Representing existing objects and new ideas with
sketches can make the design process more efficient and greatly
enhance the ability of others to understand your ideas, allowing
them to communicate their ideas more clearly.
◉ What is the purpose of sketching your ideas?
Answer: Sketches provide a means through which one can quickly
and clearly communicate ideas.
◉ Invention
,Answer: a new product, system, or process that has never existed
before, created by study and experimentation.
◉ Innovation
Answer: An improvement of an existing technological product,
system, or method of doing something.
◉ Brainstorm
Answer: A group technique for solving problems, generating
ideas, stimulating creative thinking, etc. by unrestrained
spontaneous participation in discussion.
◉ Constraint
Answer: A limit to a design process. Constraints may be such
things as appearance, funding, space, materials and human
capabilities. A limitation or restriction.
◉ Design
Answer: An iterative decision-making process that produces plans
by which resources are converted into products or systems that
meet human needs and wants or solve problems. A plan of
drawing produced to show the look and functino or workings of
something before it is built or made. A decorative pattern.
◉ Design Brief
, Answer: A written plan that identifies a problem to be solved, its
criteria, and its constraints. the design brief is used to encourage
thinking of all aspects of a problem before attempting a solution.
◉ Design Statement
Answer: A part of a design brief that challenges the designer,
describes what a design solution should do without describing
how to solve the problem, and identifies the degree to which the
soultion must be executed.
◉ Engineering Notebook
Answer: An engineering notebook is a book in which an engineer
will formally document, in chronological order, all of his/her work
that is associated with a specific design project.
◉ Prototype
Answer: A full-scale working model used to test a design concept
by making actual observations and necessary adjustments.
◉ Research
Answer: The systematic study of materials and sources in order to
establish facts and reach new conclusions.
◉ What are the Design Process procedures?
Answer: 1. Define Problem
COMPREHENSIVE QUESTIONS AND
SOLUTIONS
◉ What is the most effective way to generate potential solutions
to a problem? How many alternate solutions should you generate?
Answer: Brainstorming with a group, research and testing
possible solutions.
◉ What is the definition of engineering?
Answer: Engineering is the application of mathematics and
scientific principles to better or improve life.
◉ What is an engineer?
Answer: An engineer is a person who is trained in and uses
technological and scientific knowledge to solve practical
problems.
◉ What types of work do engineers do?
Answer: Research, Develop, Design, Supervise, Manage,
Production and Construction, Operations, Plant Management and
Sales.
◉ Why keep an engineering notebook?
,Answer: An engineering notebook is recognized as a legal
document that is used in patent activities to: prove the origin of an
idea that led to a solution, prove when events or ideas occurred,
prove diligence in turning the idea into a solution, prove when an
idea became a working solution or "reduced to practice."
◉ What are the four best practices for the engineering notebook?
Answer: Be neat, accurate, legible and thorough.
◉ Explain the concept of proportion.
Answer: Paying close attention to the underlying basic shapes and
the relative proportions of various features of the object will allow
you to more accurately reflect the true shapes and proportions of
the object in your sketch.
◉ Why would the ability to create realistic sketches make a
person a more competent designer?
Answer: Representing existing objects and new ideas with
sketches can make the design process more efficient and greatly
enhance the ability of others to understand your ideas, allowing
them to communicate their ideas more clearly.
◉ What is the purpose of sketching your ideas?
Answer: Sketches provide a means through which one can quickly
and clearly communicate ideas.
◉ Invention
,Answer: a new product, system, or process that has never existed
before, created by study and experimentation.
◉ Innovation
Answer: An improvement of an existing technological product,
system, or method of doing something.
◉ Brainstorm
Answer: A group technique for solving problems, generating
ideas, stimulating creative thinking, etc. by unrestrained
spontaneous participation in discussion.
◉ Constraint
Answer: A limit to a design process. Constraints may be such
things as appearance, funding, space, materials and human
capabilities. A limitation or restriction.
◉ Design
Answer: An iterative decision-making process that produces plans
by which resources are converted into products or systems that
meet human needs and wants or solve problems. A plan of
drawing produced to show the look and functino or workings of
something before it is built or made. A decorative pattern.
◉ Design Brief
, Answer: A written plan that identifies a problem to be solved, its
criteria, and its constraints. the design brief is used to encourage
thinking of all aspects of a problem before attempting a solution.
◉ Design Statement
Answer: A part of a design brief that challenges the designer,
describes what a design solution should do without describing
how to solve the problem, and identifies the degree to which the
soultion must be executed.
◉ Engineering Notebook
Answer: An engineering notebook is a book in which an engineer
will formally document, in chronological order, all of his/her work
that is associated with a specific design project.
◉ Prototype
Answer: A full-scale working model used to test a design concept
by making actual observations and necessary adjustments.
◉ Research
Answer: The systematic study of materials and sources in order to
establish facts and reach new conclusions.
◉ What are the Design Process procedures?
Answer: 1. Define Problem
