Engineering Design and Technology Applications
Engineering Design and Technology Applications tests problem definition, criteria and constraints, prototyping, testing, iteration, and trade-offs. Exam items often present a design scenario and ask what should be tested or why a prototype failed.
Core concepts
- Define the problem and specify criteria, which describe what success means, and constraints, which are limits such as cost, time, materials, safety, and environmental impact.
- Generate multiple solutions, compare them, build a prototype, test it fairly, collect data, and iterate.
- A prototype is a model for learning, not the final product.
- Trade-offs occur when improving one criterion worsens another, such as a stronger bridge costing more.
- Test conditions must match intended use and control variables.
Worked example
Design a container to keep a lunch cool for four hours. Criteria: internal temperature stays below 8 degrees Celsius for four hours and the container is easy to carry. Constraints: budget 10 dollars, mass under 1 kg, no electricity. Two prototypes are a foam box and a double-walled plastic box with an ice pack. Test both with the same starting temperature, room, ice mass, and thermometer. Record temperature every 15 minutes. If foam performs better but is too bulky, choose using weighted criteria, not preference. Iterate by adding a reflective lining, then retest.
Traps that cost marks
Skipping constraints; testing only once; changing several design features at once; confusing a prototype with a final product; ignoring safety or environmental impacts; choosing a solution before defining criteria.