Eduqas GCSE Design and Technology key terms

Manufacturing very large quantities of standard products to meet continuing demand over a long period.

A characteristic of a material that affects how it performs or how it can be worked, such as strength, flexibility or ease of joining.

The use of mathematical relationships to represent a design or system and predict the effect of changing its inputs.

The material that surrounds and holds reinforcement in a composite and transfers load to it.

A dull, non-glossy surface finish.

A requirement expressed so that its achievement can be checked by measurement, such as a maximum dimension or cost.

The ratio of output force to input force: $MA = \frac{\text{load}}{\text{effort}}$. It has no unit.

A treatment that changes fabric through physical action, such as rolling or brushing.

A connection that holds parts together through physical engagement, clamping or deformation, such as a screwed, bolted or riveted joint.

Separating wood fibres by grinding woodchips.

Steel with a carbon content between mild steel and high-carbon steel, offering a balance of strength and workability and responding well to hardening and tempering.

The temperature at which a solid becomes liquid. An alloy may melt over a temperature range.

A chemical treatment of natural fibres that produces a smoother, more lustrous fabric.

A programmable integrated circuit into which software can be loaded to control input and output devices.

Enclosing substances in tiny capsules incorporated into a textile, allowing their contents to be released when the capsule walls break.

A very small fibre released from a textile. Synthetic microfibres contribute to microplastic pollution.

A unit of length used to specify board thickness. One micron is $0.001\text{ mm}$.

An integrated circuit that executes instructions to process data and make decisions.

A machining process using a rotating cutting tool to remove material, for example to create a slot or a flat face or edge.

Reducing the size of components or systems while retaining the functions required of them.

The lowest rate of pay that an employer is legally permitted to pay an eligible worker.

A fabric containing different types of yarn, such as cotton warp yarns and polyester weft yarns.

A simple representation used to explore features such as size, shape or layout; it need not function like the finished product.

A physical or digital representation of a design used to explore, test or communicate selected features.

A material developed or adapted to provide properties useful for particular applications.

A change to a design or prototype intended to improve how well it meets its requirements.

Designing a product from separate units joined by non-permanent connections, so individual units can be removed and replaced.