IPI/BIV Aptitude Test flashcards

33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Closed control loop

A system in which the measured output is fed back and compared with the setpoint, and the controller acts on the resulting error to reduce the deviation.

Proportional gain Kp

The factor multiplying the control error in a P controller. Raising it speeds the response and reduces offset but decreases stability margin and can cause oscillation.

Integral action

Accumulation of past error in the controller. It eliminates steady-state offset but adds phase lag, which reduces phase margin and can slow settling.

Derivative action

Control contribution proportional to the rate of change of error. It anticipates trends and damps overshoot but amplifies measurement noise, so it is often filtered.

Gain margin

The factor by which open-loop gain may be increased before the closed loop reaches the stability boundary, read where the phase crosses minus 180 degrees.

Phase margin

The additional phase lag tolerated at the gain crossover frequency before instability. It is a direct indicator of damping and overshoot behavior.

Time constant tau

For a first-order system, the time to reach 63.2 percent of the final step change. Settling within two percent takes about four time constants.

Sampling theorem

The sampling frequency must exceed twice the highest frequency contained in the signal; otherwise aliasing folds higher frequencies into the measured band.

Root-cause analysis

A structured method separating symptom, immediate cause, and systemic cause, so that correcting the fault also removes the condition that produced it.

Signal chain bisection

A fault-isolation technique that measures at the midpoint of a signal path, then halves the remaining suspect section based on whether the signal is correct.

Change control

A documented procedure requiring a change request, risk assessment, rollback plan, and acceptance test before a running installation is modified.

Shift handover content

The minimum transfer record: current plant state, open actions, known risks, and the last verified measurement with instrument and timestamp.

Reproducible record

A record containing date, observer, plant state, measured values with units, instrument used, and conclusion, so that another person can repeat the observation.

Calibration check

Verification of sensor accuracy against a reference before interpreting an unexpected reading, distinguishing instrument error from genuine process deviation.

Escalation trigger

A predefined condition such as exceeded authorization, safety relevance, or exhausted time budget that obliges the technician to involve a higher authority.

Legal basis for data

Processing personal data requires one of the recognized grounds, such as consent, contract, legal obligation, or legitimate interest, plus purpose limitation.

Data subject rights

The rights of the person whose data is processed: access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability, and objection, answered within the statutory deadline.

Operator responsibility

The party running a technical installation is accountable for its safe operation, including instruction, maintenance, and documented risk assessment of the plant.

Service versus work contract

A contract for services owes the activity, while a contract for work owes a successful result. The type determines acceptance, warranty, and liability rules.

Confidentiality duty

The obligation not to disclose client or employer information obtained during work; it continues after the relationship ends unless law requires disclosure.

Incident reporting duty

Safety-relevant events must be reported to the responsible authority within the prescribed period and recorded internally regardless of the reporting outcome.

PDCA cycle

Plan a change with a measurable target, do it on limited scope, check results against the target, and act by standardizing or reverting.

Measurement uncertainty

The quantified range within which the true value lies, reported as result plus or minus expanded uncertainty with a stated coverage factor and confidence level.

FMEA risk priority

A ranking of failure modes by the product of severity, occurrence, and detection. Higher products indicate failure modes to be addressed first.

Control versus specification limits

Control limits derive from process variation and signal when the process is out of control; specification limits derive from requirements and define acceptability.

Hypothesis-driven diagnosis

State a hypothesis, predict the observable consequence, test it, and record whether the prediction held; failed hypotheses are discarded rather than reinterpreted.

Traceability of results

The ability to link every result to instrument, calibration status, method version, operator, and timestamp, enabling independent verification later.

Active listening

Paraphrasing the client's statement, asking an open question, and confirming shared understanding before proposing any technical solution.

Advisory structure

A recommendation format covering situation, options with trade-offs, a justified recommendation, and the specific decision the client must make.

Observation versus interpretation

Feedback separates what was observably done from the meaning assigned to it, so that the recipient can act on facts rather than on judgment.

Informed consent in advice

Disclosing alternatives, the risks of each option, and the consequence of inaction, so the client can decide with full understanding.

Integrity in reporting

Reporting data as measured, without adjusting, omitting, or selectively presenting results to support a preferred conclusion, and disclosing limitations openly.

Conflict of interest

A financial or personal interest in the recommended option that must be disclosed before advising, and that disqualifies the adviser from deciding alone.