Engineering: The nature of problems

# Learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

- view solutions as belonging to particular categories, broadly classified as: innovation by context; innovation by practice; routine
- see how external factors affect engineering projects, and appreciate the range of engineering involved in meeting the basic needs of our society
- recognise and apply a range of problem-solving techniques from each stage of the engineering design cycle, to include the following: physical modelling; mathematical modelling; iteration; use of reference data; refining an engineering specification
- identify when models are likely to be useful and when they are no longer valid
- recognise and distinguish between the following technical terms: differential equation; simultaneous equation; boundary condition; constraint; finite element analysis (FEA); mathematical model; physical model; prototype; demonstrator; anthropometric; ergonomic; product specification; functional specification.

OpenLearn - Engineering: The nature of problems
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