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11th grade Define a design problem and weigh trade-offs worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

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Define a design problem and weigh trade-offs

Grade 11 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

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Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

  1. A hallway lamp must run 6,000 h. Each 60 W bulb lasts 1,000 h and costs $1. Power costs 12¢ per kWh. What is the total cost of bulbs and power, Ari?

  2. A stairwell lamp must run 50,000 h. Each 10 W bulb lasts 25,000 h and costs $4. Power costs 12¢ per kWh. What is the total cost of bulbs and power, Esme?

  3. Read this first

    Use this

    Desk-lamp bulbs, each about 800 lumens (power and life follow DOE's comparisons; prices are example data) (example data). Columns: bulb, power (W), life (h), price ($), contains mercury?. A, incandescent, 60, 1000, 1, no; B, CFL, 15, 10000, 3, yes; C, LED, 10, 25000, 4, no; D, premium LED, 8, 25000, 7, no. Constraints: at most 20 W and at most $5.

  4. Using the table, which bulbs meet both limits, at most 20 W and at most $5 each, Jun?

    • B and C only
    • A and B, the two cheapest bulbs
    • C and D, the two that use least power
    • B, C and D, since each lasts 10,000 h or more
  5. Use this

    Desk-lamp bulbs, each about 800 lumens (power and life follow DOE's comparisons; prices are example data) (example data). Columns: bulb, power (W), life (h), price ($), contains mercury?. A, incandescent, 60, 1000, 1, no; B, CFL, 15, 10000, 3, yes; C, LED, 10, 25000, 4, no; D, premium LED, 8, 25000, 7, no. Constraints: at most 20 W, at most $5, and no mercury.

  6. The school adds a third limit: no mercury in classrooms. Which one bulb passes all three limits, Kira?

    • A, the incandescent, which costs the least
    • C, the LED
    • D, the premium LED, which uses the least power
    • B, the CFL, which uses 15 W
  7. Use this

    Desk-lamp bulbs, each about 800 lumens (power and life follow DOE's comparisons; prices are example data) (example data). Columns: bulb, power (W), life (h), price ($), contains mercury?. A, incandescent, 60, 1000, 1, no; B, CFL, 15, 10000, 3, yes; C, LED, 10, 25000, 4, no; D, premium LED, 8, 25000, 7, no. Constraints: at most 20 W and at most $5.

  8. Bulb D costs $3 more than bulb C and lasts as long. What does the table say the extra $3 buys, Luz?

    • Twice the life of C, so half the replacements
    • 2 W less power, a small gain
    • No mercury, which C contains
    • Light of 800 lumens, which C does not give
  9. A spec says: 'The lamp must cost at most $20 and use as little power as possible.' Which part is a criterion, Milo?

    • Use as little power as possible
    • Neither part, since power cannot be measured
    • Both parts are criteria, since both involve money
    • Cost at most $20
  10. A spec lists 'at least 300 lux at the desk', 'light as even as possible' and 'under 15 W'. Which two are constraints, Noah?

    • Not one, since a spec lists goals and not limits
    • At least 300 lux, and under 15 W
    • At least 300 lux, and light as even as possible
    • Light as even as possible, and under 15 W
  11. A team says 'cheaper is better' for bulb price, but the school also caps price at $5. How is price written in the spec, Pia?

    • As a constraint, since $5 is a number
    • $5 as a criterion, since cheaper is better
    • As neither, since price is not a design feature
    • $5 as a constraint, and cheaper as a criterion
  12. A hot bulb sits close to a plastic stand. The bulb and the stand each passed alone. What does that show, Tala?

    • Neither test checked how the bulb's heat affects the stand
    • The stand must be made of metal instead of plastic
    • The lamp is safe, since both parts passed their own tests
    • The bulb must be changed to a cooler type of bulb
  13. Which split of the lamp problem gives parts that can be solved and tested separately, Zee?

    • Light source, stand and power supply, each with its own target
    • Cheap parts, good parts and safe parts, each tested in turn
    • The first half of the lamp and the second half, split down the middle
    • The bulb, the bulb's color and the bulb's price, as three parts
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11th grade Define a design problem and weigh trade-offs worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Define a design problem and weigh trade-offs. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can tell criteria (goals to do well on) from constraints (limits a design must meet).
  • I can break a big problem into smaller ones that can be solved and tested, then check they work together.
  • I can score options with a weighted decision table, find yearly energy and savings, and see how weights change a choice.
  • I can read the output of a described computer model and say what it leaves out (HS-ETS1-4).

Standard: HS-ETS1-1, HS-ETS1-2, HS-ETS1-3, HS-ETS1-4

Words to know

criterion: A goal a design should do as well as possible on

constraint: A limit a design must stay within

trade-off: Giving up some of one good thing to get more of another

weight: A number showing how much a criterion matters

computer model: A program that predicts how a design will behave

Common mistakes

Your child bought one bulb for the whole run. A bulb that burns out in the run has to be bought again: bulbs needed = hours ÷ life, rounded up.

Your child counted only the bulbs and left out the electricity. Running cost is part of what a lamp costs.

Your child chose by price alone. A good choice meets every limit first, then does well on all the goals over the whole life of the product.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with define a design problem and weigh trade-offs?

Your child bought one bulb for the whole run. A bulb that burns out in the run has to be bought again: bulbs needed = hours ÷ life, rounded up.

Are these 11th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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