Engineering Terms For Enge 1024

Front 1

analog

Back 1

device that uses continuous values of voltages and currents

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analog computer model

Back 2

analog circuit that simulates a physical system

Front 3

analysis

Back 3

the process of defining and seeking an answer to a problem

Front 4

cube-square law

Back 4

as an object gets smaller, the volume decreases faster than the area. surface-area to volume ratio increases with small obj.

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digital

Back 5

device that uses only discrete voltages and currents

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engineering design method

Back 6

a procedure of synthesis, analysis, communication, and implementation

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law of diminishing returns

Back 7

small inputs, the output increases linearly; larger inputs, outputs levels off

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application issue

Back 8

the lack of clarity as to whether a particular act violates a law, rule, or policy

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conceptual issue

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uncertainity about how it should be codified into clearly definied law, rule, or policy

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conflict of interest

Back 10

engineer's loyalties and obligations may compromised bc of other loyalities

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convergence

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to tend toward a common solution

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diverge

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to differ

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eminent domain

Back 13

the right of the gov't to take possesion of private property for public use

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engineering ethics

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the set of standards engineers should follow

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ethical egoism

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an act is moral if you act in your own self interest

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ethics

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concepts of right and wrong behavior

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etiquette

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the codes of behavior and courtesy

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factual issue

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uncertainity about morally relevant facts

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game theory

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a tool for evaluating optimal behavior strategies

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happiness objective function

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E(benefit)(importance)-E(harm)(importance)

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interaction rules

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expected sets of behavior

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law

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the system of rules established by authority, society, or custom

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legal rights

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just claims given to all humans through the gov't

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moral issue

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issue resolved through moral decision

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moral rights

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just claims that belong to humans

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moral theories

Back 26

framework for making moral and ethical decision

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morals

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accepted standards of rights and wrong

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rights analysis

Back 28

moral theory that equally respects each human being

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ulitarianism

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to create the most good for people

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vulcanized

Back 30

to imporve the strength and resiliency of a polymer by bining it with sulfur

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whistle blowing

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informing authorities of harmful, dangerous, ot illegal activities

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application

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process whereby appropriate information is identified for the problem at hand

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Archimedes' principle

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total mass of a floating object equals the mass of the fliud displaced

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comprehension

Back 34

the step in which the proper theory and data are used to actually solve th problem

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heuristic

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the use of speculative strategies for solving a problem

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iterative procedure

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repetition of a sequence of steps to solve a problem

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manipulative models

Back 37

a class of problems that have some physical entity that can be used to one's advantage in order to solve a problem

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parallelepiped

Back 38

a solid with six parallelogram faces that are parallel to the opposite face

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reductionism

Back 39

logically break a problem into pieces

Front 40

actuator

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a mechanism that uses pneumatic, hydraulic or electrical signals to activate equipment

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concurrent engineering

Back 41

a design approach in which specialists work together right at the beginning of a project

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delphi technique

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members of a group are intentionally separated and given the same problem. they return their solutions to the leader, the solutions are pooled , and the group members rate the ideas

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evalution matrix

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mathmatical evaluation that identifies the best solution by weighing

Front 44

feasibility study

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step of the engineeriing design method where ideas are roughed out

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global optimum

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the best condition found with constraints

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initial capital cost

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the purchase price of a product

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life-cycle cost

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the purchase price and additional costs such as labor, operation, insurance, and maintenance

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local optimum

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the best condition found w/ contraints

Front 49

nominal group technique

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ideds are discussed and then ranked

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preliminary design

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the step of the engineering design method where some of the more promising ideas are explored in more detail

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redundancy

Back 51

the use of multiple components in which each has the same capabilities

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sequential engineering

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an approach in which specialists work in compartmentalized manner

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chronological strategy

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a strategy that gives a historical account of the topic

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accurancy

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the extent to which the reported value approaches the true value and is free form error

Front 55

engineering notation

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the use of leading zeros for decimal numbers less than 1

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error

Back 56

the differenc between the the reported value and the true value

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precision

Back 57

the extent to which the measurement may be repeated and the same answer obtained

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random error

Back 58

an error that doesn''t result from a measurement methos thatis inherently wrong

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rounding error

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rounding in intermediate calculations which results in an incorrect final answer

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scientific notation

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numbers expressed in terms of decimal point

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significant figure

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an accurate dight, excluding the zero required to place the decimal point

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systematic error

Back 62

an error that results from a mearsurement method that is inherently wrong

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uncertainty

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the result from random error and describes the lack of precision

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abscissa

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the x-axis

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dependent variable

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a varible that cannot be arbitrarily selected and is determinedby the independent variable

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exponential equation

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y=kB^mx

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extrapolation

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extending beyond the data points

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independent variable

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a variable that can be arbitrarily selected

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intercept

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the value where a line interests a coordinate axis

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interpolation

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extending between the data points

Front 71

least-squares linear regression

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used to find a line that best fits the data

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linear interpolation

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the approximation of a curve with a straight line

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linear regression

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the process of finding the equation of a straight line that best fits the data

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log-log graph

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a graph in which both axes are linear

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ordinate

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the y axis

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power equation

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y = kx^M

Front 77

rectilinear graph

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a graph in which both axes linear

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regression

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going backward from the data to the equation

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semilog graph

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a graph in which one axis is logarithmic and the other in linear

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slope

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rise over run

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vapor pressure

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the pressure of the vapor in equilibrium with the liquid or the solid