Exam 22: Learning Curves

The first unit of a product took 832 hours to build, and the learning curve is 75%. How long will it take to make the 10th unit? (Use at least three decimals in the exponent if you use the logarithmic approach.)

It took 18 hours to complete the first two products with an 80% learning curve. How long did the second product take?

A contractor builds large ships for the Department of Defence. A recent contract called for 12 amphibious landing platforms. It was originally estimated that the first of these would cost $1 billion and that 80% learning would be appropriate. In fact, the first ship cost $1.6 billion and the second $1.12 billion. What is the revised learning rate? What will be the total cost of the twelve ships? Is it higher or lower than the original estimates? If the defence department cuts the contract from 12 ships to 9, what happens to the average cost per ship?

In the Learning-Curve Coefficients table for 70% learning, the sixth unit has a unit time value of 0.398. Verify that table entry by use of the logarithmic formula. Use five decimals in your work.

The first unit of a product took 832 hours to build, and the learning curve is 90%. How long will it take to make the 25th unit? (Use at least three decimals in the exponent if you use the logarithmic approach.)

Learning curves can only be applied to labour.

A defence contractor has just started producing turbines for a new government contract. The first turbine took 7000 hours to produce. If the learning curve is 90%, how long will it take to produce the 10th turbine? (Use at least three decimals in the exponent if you use the logarithmic approach.)

The first unit of a product took 832 hours to build, and the learning curve is 75%. How long will it take to make the 30th unit? (Use at least three decimals in the exponent if you use the logarithmic approach.)

In the logarithmic approach formula to compute the time for the Nth unit, T_N = T₁N^b, the exponent b is the learning curve rate L, expressed as a decimal.

If the learning rate for a process is 80%, that same process has a 20% ________.

Explain how learning curves might be applied in a bid preparation application.

A company is preparing a bid on a government contract for 40 units of a certain product. The operations manager estimates the assembly time required for the first two units to be 10.4 hours and 8.3 hours, respectively. a. What is the appropriate learning curve? b. What is the average time per unit for the 40 units? c. Which unit, if any, will require approximately one-half the time of the first unit?

A small manufacturer that offers "hand crafted" furniture has developed a new style of desk that they believe will be very successful in the marketplace. It is expected that the first desk will take about 60 hours of craftsmen's time to complete. They expect a 90% learning curve for this desk. How long will it take to make the 20th desk? The firm is considering accepting an order for 25 desks. How many hours of labour will this require for all 25?

Susan suspects strongly that there is a learning curve associated with solving problems assigned for operations management. She notes that it took her approximately 24 minutes to solve the first problem and 17 minutes to solve the fourth problem. a. Estimate Susan's learning percentage. b. Using your answer from part a, estimate how much longer it will take Susan to finish the three problems that remain.

What problems in scheduling can arise if adjustments for learning curve effects in operations are not made?

Experience curves may be valid for industrial applications, but have no role in services such as health care procedures.

The earliest application of learning curves appears in the work of architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

Which of the following is a limitation of the use of learning curves?

On an ordinary graph, unit times decrease at a decreasing rate, but on a log-log graph, the learning "curve" appears as a straight line.

In the logarithmic approach to learning curve calculations, you have used the formula T_N = T₁. (N^b). Your manager shows you a problem for which b is specified as -.18442. What learning rate does that value represent?