Title: Identify the core concepts of technology and engineering.
Course: Technology and Engineering Foundations (21003-36) > Section: Exploring Technology and Engineering Core Concepts

Identification should include

- system – a group of components that work together for a purpose
- resources – system inputs
  - machines and other tools
  - energy
  - materials
  - people
  - time
  - information
  - capital
- requirements – the expected output of a system (what is produced)
  - criteria and constraints – designer limitations
  - trade-offs – a choice of one quality over another
  - optimization – a methodology for designing something, so it is most functional and effective
- process – a systematic sequence of actions to produce a product (output)
- controls – the mechanism or activities that cause systems to behave in desired ways.

Process/Skill Questions:

- What is the difference between criteria and constraints?
- What is the difference between a natural and a human-designed system?
- What do optimization and trade-offs refer to?
- What are some common physical systems?
- How might a system be controlled?