NCEA Level 2 Technology flashcards
NCEA Level 2 Technology · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Brief
- A document that defines the issue, the intended outcome, and the specifications the outcome must meet, kept under review as evidence is gathered.
- Conceptual statement
- A short statement of the outcome's purpose: who it is for, what it will do, and why it is worth making in that context.
- Specification
- A measurable criterion an outcome must satisfy, ideally written with a value, unit and test method so success can be verified.
- Stakeholder
- A person or group affected by or interested in the outcome, such as the end user, the client, the manufacturer or the wider community.
- Feasibility
- A judgement of whether an outcome can be made with the available skills, materials, time and money, while meeting legal and ethical limits.
- Prototype
- A working model built to test specific aspects of a design, such as function or durability, before the final outcome is produced.
- Mock-up
- A full-size or scale model used to check form, fit and appearance with users, rather than to test technical performance under load.
- Testing
- Controlled measurement of defined properties against stated criteria, producing recorded evidence of whether a design works or fails.
- Trialling
- Use of a prototype by real users in the intended context, revealing performance, durability and usability issues that controlled tests may miss.
- Gantt chart
- A bar chart that schedules tasks against time, showing duration, sequence and overlaps so that dependencies and deadlines can be managed.
- Evaluation
- A judgement of an outcome against each specification, supported by evidence from testing and trialling, ending in justified recommendations for change.
- Technological system
- A set of connected components in which inputs are transformed by a process into outputs, with a boundary defining what is inside the system.
- Open loop system
- A control arrangement that does not sense its output, so it cannot detect or correct for changes, disturbance or accumulated error.
- Closed loop system
- A control arrangement that senses its output and feeds information back, letting the controller adjust the input to hold performance near a set point.
- Redundancy
- Backup components or pathways designed so a system keeps working, or fails safely, after a single component fails.
- Reliability
- The probability that a component or system performs its required function for a stated period of time under stated operating conditions.
- Failure mode
- A specific way a component or system can fail, such as wear, fatigue, corrosion, overload, thermal stress or human error during use.
- Material toughness
- The ability of a material to absorb energy and deform plastically before fracturing, which matters where impacts or sudden loads occur.
- Mechanical advantage
- Output force divided by input force for a mechanism; a value greater than one means the mechanism multiplies the applied force.
- Efficiency
- Useful work or energy output divided by total energy input, expressed as a percentage; losses appear mainly as heat, friction and noise.
- Ohm's law
- V = IR: voltage equals current multiplied by resistance, used to size components and predict how a circuit will behave.
- Embodied energy
- The total energy used to extract, process, manufacture and deliver a material or product to the point of use.
- Purposeful intervention
- The view that technology is deliberate action to meet a need or opportunity, rather than science that happens to be applied.
- Functional nature
- The aspect of a technological outcome that describes what it does, how it works and how well it performs its intended function.
- Physical nature
- The aspect of a technological outcome that describes what it is made from and how its parts are formed and assembled.
- Fitness for purpose
- The degree to which an outcome meets its specifications and performs as intended within its intended context of use.
- Technological outcome
- A product, system or environment that has been designed and made to meet a need, having both a functional and a physical nature.
- Invention
- The creation of a new idea, device or process that has not previously existed, often before any practical or commercial use is known.
- Innovation
- The first successful implementation of an idea in a market or setting, turning an invention or existing concept into something actually used.
- Unintended consequence
- An effect of a technological outcome that was not foreseen by its developers, which may be positive or negative for users and society.
- Context of use
- The physical, social, cultural and economic setting in which an outcome is used, which shapes whether it is appropriate and fit for purpose.
- Tacit knowledge
- Practical know-how gained through experience that is difficult to write down but is essential for making technological outcomes work reliably.