Description

SYSE 640: System Integration and Test

Midterm Exam

Submit your midterm exam as a virus-free Word formatted paper via your

Assignment Folder at any time up to the end of the due date. Note: Any

student forecasting a finite (albeit small) probability for the occurrence of a

dire crisis (of health, wealth, happiness, software, or modem connection) on

or about the due date of the paper, as seems to occur with the arrival of

each paper's due date, feel free to submit the paper at any earlier

time—early papers are welcomed with open arms, whereas late ones may be

slapped around and lose points). By the bye, it is very poor manners to e-

mail a virus to your kindly professor, the one who grades your papers and

who has your fate in his hands—use Norton or McAfee anti-virus scanners

before you submit papers.

The midterm exam is worth 20 points. The paper should be a maximum of

10 pages single-spaced, including the cover sheet with your name, class,

date, course and section number, etc; this is a maximum page count—it can

be less. Use suitable fonts no smaller than 12 point (except perhaps for

footnotes, references, etc.). Use at least 1-inch margins all around. Note: all

graphics and charts, if any, should be incorporated (inserted) directly into

your paper (on a Word page) seamlessly, not attached separately in a

different format or embedded in a program icon. The paper and all charts

should form a single, continuous Word document (and print out as such).

Number your answers to match the numbered questions. All of your work

must be your own. Show how you calculated numerical solutions, if any,

and cite references for quoted or paraphrased material. Late papers will

generally lose points. Questions are worth 4 points each.

(1) In the future, imagine the commercial production of large, complex

systems for obtaining energy from laser-induced fusion, i.e., a laser fusion

reactor (using either inertial confinement fusion or magnetic confinement

fusion). Based on the way we have learned VVT methodology is tailored

according to the system’s size, complexity, and type, and extrapolated to

the hypothetical laser fusion reactor, describe how the VVT methodology

might be tailored for the production of these systems.

(2) Describe the typical life cycle of an unmanned air vehicle, such as the

Predator or Reaper.

(3) Assume that the system of interest is a prototype solar-powered car,

i.e., a small, lightweight car that seats two and is covered with efficient solar

cells that are connected to a battery to store the electrical energy from the

solar cells, and from which the vehicle obtains all of its energy. Design and

describe a demonstration of this system that is the functional equivalent of

testing it.

(4) For the solar-powered car in Question 3 above, define how you would

evaluate each of the following metrics for product quality:

(a) Performance (how well does the product or service do what it is

supposed to do)

(b) Aesthetics (appearance, feel, smell, taste)

(c) Conformance (how well does the product or service correspond to

the customer’s expectations)

(d) Safety (risk of injury or harm)

(e) Reliability (consistent performance)

(f) Durability (useful life)

(5) Provide examples of six systems where destructive testing is performed

during VVT, and explain for each example why the destructive testing is

needed and what it accomplishes.