Question 1

Learning curves are based on the premise that people and organizations become better at their tasks as the tasks are repeated.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 2

An 80% learning curve means that with each unit increase in production,labor requirements fall by 20%.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 3

In the formula to compute the time for the Nth unit,TN = T1(Nb),the exponent b is the learning curve rate L,expressed as a decimal.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 4

Which one of the following courses of actions would NOT be taken by a firm wanting to pursue a learning curve steeper than the industry average?

Accepted Answer

A) following an aggressive pricing policy 
B) focusing on continuing cost reduction 
C) keeping capacity equal to demand to control costs 
D) focusing on productivity improvement 
E) building on shared experience 
A) following an aggressive pricing policy 
B) focusing on continuing cost reduction 
C) keeping capacity equal to demand to control costs 
D) focusing on productivity improvement 
E) building on shared experience

Question 5

The learning curve in the steel industry and the learning curve in heart transplants have both been estimated at 79 percent.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

A defense 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 formula approach.)

Accepted Answer

A) less than 4800 hours 
B) from 4800 to 4900 hours 
C) from 4900 to 5000 hours 
D) from 5000 to 5100 hours 
E) over 5100 hours 
A) less than 4800 hours 
B) from 4800 to 4900 hours 
C) from 4900 to 5000 hours 
D) from 5000 to 5100 hours 
E) over 5100 hours

Question 7

In addition to labor,to which other variables have learning curves been applied?

Accepted Answer

The text cites a wide variety

Question 8

The earliest industrial application of learning curves came from a report by ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The earliest industrial application of learning curves...

Question 9

A certain product under development took 200 hours for the production of its 2nd unit and 180 hours for its 4th unit.
a.What is the learning curve?
b.How much time did the first unit take?
c.How much time would the production of the 10th unit take? (Use both the formula and the Table E.3 approach.Do the two versions agree?)

Accepted Answer

(a)90%; (b)222.2 hours; (c)T10

Question 10

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 the above 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 the above is true.

Question 11

The fact that human activities typically improve when they are done on a repetitive basis is described by a:

Accepted Answer

A) normal distribution curve. 
B) binomial distribution curve. 
C) learning curve. 
D) Poisson distribution curve. 
E) repetition curve. 
A) normal distribution curve. 
B) binomial distribution curve. 
C) learning curve. 
D) Poisson distribution curve. 
E) repetition curve.

Question 12

What can cause a learning curve to vary from a smooth downward slope?

Accepted Answer

Any changes in personnel,desig

Question 13

The first unit of production took 10 hours with an 80% learning curve.How long will it take to complete both the first and second units?

Accepted Answer

A) 10 hours 
B) 8 hours 
C) 18 hours 
D) 15.7 hours 
E) There is not enough information to solve the problem. 
A) 10 hours 
B) 8 hours 
C) 18 hours 
D) 15.7 hours 
E) There is not enough information to solve the problem.

Question 14

The first unit of a product took 50 hours to build,and the learning curve is 85%.How long will it take to make the 10th unit? (Use at least three decimals in the exponent if you use the formula approach.)

Accepted Answer

A) less than 24 hours 
B) from 25 to 30 hours 
C) from 30 to 35 hours 
D) from 35 to 40 hours 
E) more than 40 hours 
A) less than 24 hours 
B) from 25 to 30 hours 
C) from 30 to 35 hours 
D) from 35 to 40 hours 
E) more than 40 hours

Question 15

Experience curves are the opposite of learning curves-as one rises,the other falls.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Your firm has expertise with a special type of hand-finished furniture.The learning curve is known to be 82%.If the first piece of furniture took 6 hours,use the formula approach to determine how long it will take to make the third unit.

Accepted Answer

For 82% learning,the factor b

Question 17

The first unit took 10 hours and the eighth unit took 1.25 hours.What is the learning curve?

Accepted Answer

A) 50% 
B) 90% 
C) 80% 
D) 12.5% 
E) none of the above 
A) 50% 
B) 90% 
C) 80% 
D) 12.5% 
E) none of the above

Question 18

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

Accepted Answer

A) 8.0 hours 
B) 10.0 hours 
C) 18.0 hours 
D) 8.1 hours 
E) none of the above 
A) 8.0 hours 
B) 10.0 hours 
C) 18.0 hours 
D) 8.1 hours 
E) none of the above

Question 19

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

Accepted Answer

Advantage: simplest approach t

Question 20

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 formula approach.)

Accepted Answer

A) less than 250 hours 
B) from 251 to 275 hours 
C) from 276 to 300 hours 
D) from 301 to 325 hours 
E) 325 or more hours 
A) less than 250 hours 
B) from 251 to 275 hours 
C) from 276 to 300 hours 
D) from 301 to 325 hours 
E) 325 or more hours

Exam 26: Learning Curves

Learning curves are based on the premise that people and organizations become better at their tasks as the tasks are repeated.

An 80% learning curve means that with each unit increase in production,labor requirements fall by 20%.

In the formula to compute the time for the Nth unit,TN = T1(Nb),the exponent b is the learning curve rate L,expressed as a decimal.

Which one of the following courses of actions would NOT be taken by a firm wanting to pursue a learning curve steeper than the industry average?

The learning curve in the steel industry and the learning curve in heart transplants have both been estimated at 79 percent.

A defense 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 formula approach.)

In addition to labor,to which other variables have learning curves been applied?

The earliest industrial application of learning curves came from a report by ________.

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

The fact that human activities typically improve when they are done on a repetitive basis is described by a:

What can cause a learning curve to vary from a smooth downward slope?

The first unit of production took 10 hours with an 80% learning curve.How long will it take to complete both the first and second units?

The first unit of a product took 50 hours to build,and the learning curve is 85%.How long will it take to make the 10th unit? (Use at least three decimals in the exponent if you use the formula approach.)

Experience curves are the opposite of learning curves-as one rises,the other falls.

Your firm has expertise with a special type of hand-finished furniture.The learning curve is known to be 82%.If the first piece of furniture took 6 hours,use the formula approach to determine how long it will take to make the third unit.

The first unit took 10 hours and the eighth unit took 1.25 hours.What is the learning curve?

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

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

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 formula approach.)

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