NCEA Level 3 Technology key terms

The written statement of the problem a technologist sets out to solve, covering the need, the client or stakeholder, the constraints, and the criteria that will be used to judge success.

Any person or group affected by, or with an interest in, an outcome, including the client, end users, manufacturers, and the wider community. Their needs must be identified and weighed.

Gathering views and feedback from stakeholders at planned points in a project so decisions reflect real needs, rather than assumptions the technologist made alone.

The measurable requirements an outcome must meet, such as dimensions, performance thresholds, tolerances, and materials. They translate the brief into criteria that can be tested.

The judgement that an outcome does the job it was designed to do, for the intended user, in the intended context, at an acceptable cost and quality.

Repeating a design cycle of planning, making, testing, and refining so that each version is an improvement built on evidence from the previous one.

A working model built to test particular aspects of a design, such as form, function, or manufacture, before committing to full production.

A non-functional or simplified representation used to check appearance, scale, or ergonomics, often made quickly from cheap materials.

Systematic judgement of an outcome against the brief and specifications, drawing on test results and stakeholder feedback to justify what worked and what should change.

Techniques such as Gantt charts, flow charts, task lists, and critical-path planning used to sequence work, allocate resources, and track progress against deadlines.

Legal rights over creations of the mind, including patents, registered designs, trademarks, and copyright. These limit how others may copy or use a design.

Automatic protection for original creative works such as drawings, text, code, and images, preventing others from copying or adapting them without permission.

A granted legal monopoly over a new and inventive technical solution, giving the holder the right to stop others making or selling it for a limited period.

Legal protection for the visual appearance of a product, such as its shape, pattern, or ornamentation, as distinct from how it works.

Acting with honesty and responsibility in design and manufacture, considering safety, environmental impact, fair treatment of workers, and the social consequences of an outcome.

Identifying and controlling hazards in the workshop, on site, and in the use of a product, so that people are not harmed during making or use.

A structured process of identifying hazards, judging how likely and how severe harm could be, and putting controls in place before work begins.

The planned systems and checks used throughout production to ensure consistent quality, as opposed to inspecting faults only at the end.

The specific inspection and testing steps that check products against specifications, rejecting or reworking items that fall outside acceptable limits.

The acceptable range of variation from a stated dimension or value, allowing for real-world inaccuracy in cutting, machining, or assembly while keeping parts interchangeable.

The property of components being made to a common standard so that any one of them fits and functions in place of another without hand fitting.

Agreeing common sizes, grades, fasteners, or procedures so that materials and parts from different sources work together and can be mass-produced economically.

Meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs, balancing environmental, social, and economic factors across a product's life.

A method of estimating the environmental impacts of a product from raw material extraction through manufacture, use, and disposal, so designers can target the biggest impacts.

Choosing materials by comparing properties such as strength, durability, workability, cost, and environmental impact against the demands of the intended use.

Measurable characteristics of a material, including strength, hardness, toughness, elasticity, thermal and electrical conductivity, density, and resistance to corrosion.

Stress is the internal force carried per unit area; strain is the resulting deformation per unit length. Their relationship shows how a material behaves under load.

The ratio of the load a structure can carry before failing to the maximum load it is expected to carry, providing a margin for uncertainty and overload.

The ability of a structure to carry its intended loads safely without excessive deflection or collapse, achieved through sound form, joints, and bracing.

An assembly of moving parts that changes the type, direction, or size of motion, for example gears, levers, cams, pulleys, or linkages.

The ratio of the output force to the input force of a machine or mechanism. A value above one means the mechanism multiplies force.

The turning effect of a force about a pivot, calculated as force times perpendicular distance from the axis. It determines how much rotation a motor or lever can produce.

Designing products and workplaces to fit human body size, movement, and perception, reducing strain and error and improving comfort and safety.

The measurement of human body dimensions and ranges of movement, used as data when sizing products, furniture, and workspaces for real users.

A system that uses inputs, a controller, and outputs to regulate a device, often with feedback so the output is adjusted toward a target value.

Information about the actual state of a system, returned to the controller so it can correct the difference between what is happening and what was intended.

An open-loop system acts without checking its result; a closed-loop system measures its output and corrects it, giving greater accuracy and resistance to disturbance.

Computer-aided design creates and tests digital models; computer-aided manufacture uses those models to drive machines, giving accuracy and repeatability in production.

Additive manufacturing that builds a physical part layer by layer directly from a digital model, allowing complex shapes and quick testing of designs.

The purposeful application of knowledge, materials, and systems to meet human needs and wants, shaped by the society that develops and uses it.

The product, system, or environment that results from technological practice, together with the effects it has on people and places once in use.

Turning an idea into a practical, adopted outcome, whether by creating something new or by substantially improving an existing product, process, or system.

The creation of a genuinely new device, method, or process that did not exist before, which may or may not go on to be widely adopted.

Effects of a technology that were not foreseen or planned, which may be positive or negative and can affect users, communities, or the environment.

The two-way relationship in which social needs and values shape what technologies are developed, and technologies in turn change how people live and work.

The beliefs, values, and practices of a group that influence what is considered acceptable or desirable in a technological outcome, including Māori perspectives in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Interconnected parts, including people, machines, information, and procedures, that work together to transform inputs into outputs within a wider environment.