ENGR 2464, Engineering Fundamentals for Scientists

Homework #1, Due Monday, February 9th, 2015

1. In the following examples, determine whether the source of the conflict is a

moral issue, conceptual issue, application issue, or a factual issue and explain
why.
a. John is a newly hired engineer for the JMT Electronics Company. He is
responsible for selecting vendors that supply components for his
companys products. One of the vendors invites john to lunch at Chez
Pierre Restaurant so they can become better acquainted. When John
returned from lunch, his boss is angry with him. He explains that John
could be fired for accepting a bribe, because a typical lunch at Chez
Pierre costs $50.

b. During World War II, engineers were important players in the

Manhattan Project, the U.S. program that built the first atomic bomb.
Mark and Edward were two engineers who debated whether they
should participate in the project. Edward argued that they should not
become involved because the atomic bomb would mean a level of
mass destruction never before unleashed on the world. In his view,
humankind is not wise enough to control such power. Mark argued that
millions of lives, both U.S. and Japanese, would be sacrificed if
conventional weapons were used to end the war. He felt that although
the atomic bomb was certainly destructive, many fewer lives would be
lost because the war would end much earlier if the atomic bomb were
used.

c. Fred is a quality control engineer in an automotive plant that makes

drive shafts on a high-speed lathe requiring specially hardened tool
bits. He notices that the automotive drive shafts are no longer meeting
specifications on a critical dimension, causing 1000 of them to be
rejected. Because his bonus depends on a low rejection rate, Fred is
angry at this development. He calls the lathe operator into his office

and accuses him of installing the wrong tool bit in the high-speed lathe.
The lathe operator swears that he used the right tool bit.

d. Sally is a mechanical engineer employed by General Motors to design

automotive gas tanks. According to U.S. government safety standards,
the automobile must survive a moderate impact with no chance of the
gas tank catching fire. In recent tests, cars that crashed at 35 mph had
no fires, whereas 20% of cars that crashed at 45mph had fires. She is
considering whether to redesign the gas tank.

e. A new government law required that the lead content of drinking water
be less than 1.0 ppb (parts per billion). Melissa is a safety engineer
who has tested her companys drinking water by two methods. Method
A gives a reading of 0.85 ppb, whereas Method B gives a reading of
1.23 ppb. She must fill out a government report describing the quality
of her companys water. If the lead content exceeds 1.0 ppb, her
company will be fined. She is contemplating whether to report the
results from Method A or Method B.

f.

Larry is an aerospace engineer employed by Boeing to design planes.

He is a member of the Quaker religion, which is committed to
nonviolence. (During wars, Quakers often refuse to serve as fighting
soldiers, but will serve as medics.) Larry was hired by Boeing to design
passenger airplanes; however, his boss has recently reassigned him to
design military fighters. Larry must decide whether to accept the new
assignment or quit and find a new job.