Question 1

If the first unit in a series of units takes 200 days to complete, and the learning curve is 80%, then the second unit will take 160 days.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

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?

Accepted Answer

(a) The learning curve is 8.3/10.4 = 0.7

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a limitation of the use of learning curves?

Accepted Answer

A)  Any change in personnel, design, or procedure can alter the learning curve. 
B)  Time measurements on early units completed must be accurate. 
C)  The culture of the workplace may alter the learning curve. 
D)  Direct labor and indirect labor may not follow the same learning curves. 
E)  All of these are limitations of learning curves. 
A)  Any change in personnel, design, or procedure can alter the learning curve. 
B)  Time measurements on early units completed must be accurate. 
C)  The culture of the workplace may alter the learning curve. 
D)  Direct labor and indirect labor may not follow the same learning curves. 
E)  All of these are limitations of learning curves.

Question 4

Why do different organizations have different learning curves?

Accepted Answer

The rate of learning varies de

Question 5

Which of the following BEST conveys the essence of learning curves?

Accepted Answer

A)  As the number of repetitions increases, time per unit increases. 
B)  As the number of repetitions decreases, time per unit increases. 
C)  As the number of repetitions increases, time per unit decreases. 
D)  As the number of repetitions increases, time per unit remains constant. 
E)  As the number of repetitions increases, time per unit doubles. 
A)  As the number of repetitions increases, time per unit increases. 
B)  As the number of repetitions decreases, time per unit increases. 
C)  As the number of repetitions increases, time per unit decreases. 
D)  As the number of repetitions increases, time per unit remains constant. 
E)  As the number of repetitions increases, time per unit doubles.

Question 6

In the formula approach to learning curve calculations, TN = T1 (Nb). For a problem with an 88 percent learning curve, what is b?

Accepted Answer

A)  −0.184 
B)  0.184 
C)  0.88 
D)  −0.88 
E)  −0.120 
A)  −0.184 
B)  0.184 
C)  0.88 
D)  −0.88 
E)  −0.120

Question 7

When comparing a 70% learning curve versus a 90% learning curve, which one results in a more rapid reduction in labor requirements? Why?

Accepted Answer

Learning curves are defined in terms of

Question 8

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 formula approach.)

Accepted Answer

A)  less than 200 hours 
B)  from 200 to 225 hours 
C)  from 225 to 250 hours 
D)  from 2501 to 275 hours 
E)  275 or more hours 
A)  less than 200 hours 
B)  from 200 to 225 hours 
C)  from 225 to 250 hours 
D)  from 2501 to 275 hours 
E)  275 or more hours

Question 9

Describe the earliest application of learning curve concepts to industry.

Accepted Answer

T. P. Wright, working for Curt

Question 10

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

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

If it took 1000 hours to produce the first unit of a product, and the learning curve is 80%, how long will it take to produce units 26 through 50?

Accepted Answer

A)  14,429 hours 
B)  7,813 hours 
C)  134 hours 
D)  3,903 hours 
E)  20,122 hours 
A)  14,429 hours 
B)  7,813 hours 
C)  134 hours 
D)  3,903 hours 
E)  20,122 hours

Question 12

The learning-curve table approach may be simpler to use than the formula approach, but it requires the presence of a table of learning-curve coefficients.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

A learning curve:

Accepted Answer

A)  plots man-hours per dollar versus time. 
B)  is mathematically described by a parabola. 
C)  should be plotted on polar coordinate graph paper. 
D)  is based on the premise that organizations learn from experience. 
E)  follows a normal distribution. 
A)  plots man-hours per dollar versus time. 
B)  is mathematically described by a parabola. 
C)  should be plotted on polar coordinate graph paper. 
D)  is based on the premise that organizations learn from experience. 
E)  follows a normal distribution.

Question 14

Which of the following is FALSE regarding learning curves?

Accepted Answer

A)  Learning curves differ from company to company. 
B)  The same learning curves are used for indirect labor as are used for direct labor. 
C)  Changes in personnel can change the learning curve. 
D)  The learning curve may spike for a short time even if it is going to drop in the long run. 
E)  All of these are false. 
A)  Learning curves differ from company to company. 
B)  The same learning curves are used for indirect labor as are used for direct labor. 
C)  Changes in personnel can change the learning curve. 
D)  The learning curve may spike for a short time even if it is going to drop in the long run. 
E)  All of these are false.

Question 15

Learning curves are:

Accepted Answer

A)  the same for all products but different for different organizations. 
B)  the same for all organizations but different for different products. 
C)  the same for all organizations and all products. 
D)  different for different organizations and different products. 
E)  appropriate in services but not in manufacturing. 
A)  the same for all products but different for different organizations. 
B)  the same for all organizations but different for different products. 
C)  the same for all organizations and all products. 
D)  different for different organizations and different products. 
E)  appropriate in services but not in manufacturing.

Question 16

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

Accepted Answer

Labor and productive facilitie

Question 17

You are about to undertake the manufacture of a labor-intensive electronics component. The first unit took 300 hours. You are not sure whether the learning curve is 70% or 80%. The initial phase of the contract calls for 6 of these components.
(a) How much time will it take to complete all six at 70% learning?
(b) How much time will it take to complete all six at 80% learning?

Accepted Answer

From Table E.3, 70 percent lea

Question 18

Which of the following statements is MOST appropriate with respect to a 70% learning curve?

Accepted Answer

A)  There will be a 70% decrease in direct labor per unit each time the production volume doubles. 
B)  Each successive unit of production will take 70% of the direct labor of the previous unit. 
C)  There will be a 30% decrease in direct labor per unit each time production volume doubles. 
D)  Thirty percent of the production will be defective until full learning takes place. 
E)  None of these is true. 
A)  There will be a 70% decrease in direct labor per unit each time the production volume doubles. 
B)  Each successive unit of production will take 70% of the direct labor of the previous unit. 
C)  There will be a 30% decrease in direct labor per unit each time production volume doubles. 
D)  Thirty percent of the production will be defective until full learning takes place. 
E)  None of these is true.

Question 19

The first product took 10 hours to build and the learning curve is estimated to be 90%. How long will it take to make the eighth unit?

Accepted Answer

A)  10 hours 
B)  9 hours 
C)  8.1 hours 
D)  7.29 hours 
E)  none of these 
A)  10 hours 
B)  9 hours 
C)  8.1 hours 
D)  7.29 hours 
E)  none of these

Question 20

Identify one advantage and one disadvantage of the doubling approach over the formula approach to learning curve calculations.

Accepted Answer

Advantage: simplest approach t

Exam 21: Learning Curves

If the first unit in a series of units takes 200 days to complete, and the learning curve is 80%, then the second unit will take 160 days.

Which of the following is NOT a limitation of the use of learning curves?

Why do different organizations have different learning curves?

Which of the following BEST conveys the essence of learning curves?

In the formula approach to learning curve calculations, TN = T1 (Nb). For a problem with an 88 percent learning curve, what is b?

When comparing a 70% learning curve versus a 90% learning curve, which one results in a more rapid reduction in labor requirements? Why?

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 formula approach.)

Describe the earliest application of learning curve concepts to industry.

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

If it took 1000 hours to produce the first unit of a product, and the learning curve is 80%, how long will it take to produce units 26 through 50?

The learning-curve table approach may be simpler to use than the formula approach, but it requires the presence of a table of learning-curve coefficients.

A learning curve:

Which of the following is FALSE regarding learning curves?

Learning curves are:

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

Which of the following statements is MOST appropriate with respect to a 70% learning curve?

The first product took 10 hours to build and the learning curve is estimated to be 90%. How long will it take to make the eighth unit?

Identify one advantage and one disadvantage of the doubling approach over the formula approach to learning curve calculations.

Operations and Productivity

Operations Strategy in a Global Environment

Project Management

Forecasting

Design of Goods and Services

Managing Quality

Process Strategies

Location Strategies

Human Resources, Job Design, and Work Measurement

Supply Chain Management

Inventory Management

Aggregate Planning and Sop

Material Requirements Planning Mrp and Erp

Short-Term Scheduling

Lean Operations

Maintenance and Reliability

Decision-Making Tools

Linear Programming

Transportation Models

Waiting-Line Models

Simulation

Applying Analytics to Big Data in Operations Management

Filters

In the formula approach to learning curve calculations, T_N = T₁ (N^b). For a problem with an 88 percent learning curve, what is b?