Eduqas GCSE Design and Technology key terms

Meeting today’s needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Designing products to reduce environmental harm through choices about materials, production, useful life, maintenance and end-of-life options.

A picture or pictogram used to represent a message rather than communicating it entirely through words.

A manufactured fibre made from synthetic polymers, such as polyester or nylon.

A polymer manufactured through chemical processes, commonly using raw materials obtained from crude oil.

A diagram showing the main functional stages of a system and how they interact, often as input, process and output.

Considering a connected whole and the relationships between its parts, including how a change in one part affects others.

Temporary stitches used to hold fabric pieces in position before permanent stitching.

Pressure treatment that forces preservative into timber to improve its resistance to rot, fungi and insects.

A cutting tool used to cut an internal screw thread in a prepared hole.

A hole drilled to a suitable diameter before a tap cuts an internal screw thread into it.

The group of people a product is intended to appeal to and serve.

The group of people for whom a product is intended.

A textile engineered to perform a particular task beyond the conventional functions of fabrics, such as monitoring health or protecting against heat.

A development in materials, components or manufacturing methods that creates opportunities for new or improved products.

A heat treatment that reheats hardened steel and then cools it to reduce brittleness and increase toughness, with some reduction in hardness.

An accurately shaped guide drawn around to transfer an outline onto material.

A fastening that can be undone so components can be separated without damaging the product.

A connection designed to be undone and reassembled without damaging the joined parts.

The ability of a material to resist being pulled apart by tensile forces.

A pulling action that tends to stretch a material.

Checking an idea or prototype to obtain evidence about how it performs.

Applying a pattern or image to a textile using a process such as a screen, engraved roller or relief block.

A surface with a pattern or unevenness, such as a pebbled or wood-grain effect, chosen for its appearance or practical benefits.

A yarn modified to introduce features such as crimps, coils or loops, changing its bulk, handle and performance.

The ability of a material to transfer heat. A material with low thermal conductivity is a thermal insulator.

A resistor whose resistance changes with temperature. An NTC thermistor’s resistance decreases as its temperature increases.