Question 1

The general guidelines provided in the textbook on improving individual learning based on learning curves do not include which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A) Proper training 
B) Work specialization 
C) Early removal of workers who do not improve 
D) Motivation 
E) Doing one or very few jobs at a time

Question 2

Why are learning curves useful in business?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why are learning curves useful in business?...

Question 3

What are some of the factors that stimulate learning?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are some of the factors that...

Question 4

The unit improvement factor is not as useful as arithmetic tabulation of learning curve statistics in adjusting time estimates for learning.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

You are a consultant called in to estimate the costs after the employees learn how to do a job more efficiently by repetition of new product.You find a company can produce a product the first time at a cost of $5,000.If their 90 percent learning curve allows them to reduce their costs on each unit, what is the total cost of producing 100 units of the new product?

Accepted Answer

A) $500,000 
B) $390,000 
C) $290,700 
D) $250,687 
E) $250,000

Question 6

A company's production process has an 85 percent learning curve rate.The process has produced 1,000 units to date.A process refinement is estimated to allow a future learning curve rate for the identical product of 75 percent.However, the initial unit made using the new process will take the same amount of time as the very first unit produced using the old process.At what point, using the new process, will the production rate exceed the production rate achieved by the old process?

Accepted Answer

A) By the 50th unit 
B) By the 80th unit 
C) By the 100th unit 
D) By the 120th unit 
E) By the 250th unit

Question 7

A learning curve shows the decrease in time required for each successive unit completed.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

The unit improvement factor for a 60 percent learning curve at 25 units is 0.0933.The first and second timings of a person doing a job are 5 minutes and 3 minutes, respectively.The learning-adjusted time estimate for the unit number 25 is 0.0933 minute.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

The 50th repetition of a job is timed at 100 minutes.If the learning curve for this job is 90 percent, what is the estimated time for the 100th repetition of this job?

Accepted Answer

A) 49.66 minutes 
B) 81 minutes 
C) 90 minutes 
D) 100 minutes 
E) 110 minutes

Question 10

A company can produce a product the first time at a cost of $2,500.If its 85 percent learning curve allows the company to reduce its costs on each product, what is the total cost of producing 400 units of the new product? _________________

Accepted Answer

The answer of A company can produce a product the...

Question 11

Which of the following computational methods are used to calculate learning curve statistics?

Accepted Answer

A) Simple compounding 
B) Exponential smoothing 
C) Logarithms 
D) Calculus 
E) Negative recursive multiplication

Question 12

A company can produce a small lot of products the first time at a cost of $10,000.If their 75 percent learning curve allows them to reduce their costs on each lot, what is the total cost of producing 10 lots?

Accepted Answer

A) $100,000 
B) $93,978 
C) $65,432 
D) $55,890 
E) $49,310

Question 13

You time someone completing a single task the first time at 120 minutes, and the second time they do the task it takes 108 minutes.You should use a 90 percent learning curve to estimate the length of time this worker will take to complete this task in the future.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

You time someone completing a single task the first time at 100 minutes, and the second time they do the task it takes 90 minutes.You should use a 90 percent learning curve to estimate the length of time this worker will take to complete this task in the future.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

You are a consultant specializing in estimating the costs after the employees learn how to do a job more efficiently by repetition.Your client can produce a product the first time at a cost of $2,500.If their 65 percent learning curve allows them to reduce their costs on each product, what is the total cost of producing 400 units of the new product?

Accepted Answer

A) $100,000 
B) $78,900 
C) $58,600 
D) $45,765 
E) $37,850

Question 16

With a 70 percent unit improvement factor learning curve and an initial time of 100 minutes to do a job, at what number of repetitions does the job take less than 50 minutes?

Accepted Answer

A) 2 repetitions of the job 
B) 3 repetitions of the job 
C) 4 repetitions of the job 
D) 5 repetitions of the job 
E) 6 repetitions of the job

Question 17

You have just timed a person doing a job a four times.The first time it took the person 120 minutes, the second time it took 90 minutes, the third time it took 76.1 minutes, and the fourth time it took 67.5 minutes.Which learning curve unit improvement factor should you use?

Accepted Answer

A) 25 percent 
B) 75 percent 
C) 80 percent 
D) 85 percent 
E) 90 percent

Question 18

An assumption of learning curves is that the time required to complete a unit will increase at an increasing rate as the cumulative number of units completed increases.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

An assumption of learning curve theory is which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A) The reduction in unit time will follow a predictable pattern. 
B) Unit time will decrease at an increasing rate. 
C) The time required to do a task will vary randomly each time the task is repeated. 
D) Learning will not be transferred from one worker to the next. 
E) Organizational learning is not included in learning theory.

Question 20

Describe an example of industrial learning where learning curve analysis might be useful.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe an example of industrial learning where...

Exam 6: Learning Curves

The general guidelines provided in the textbook on improving individual learning based on learning curves do not include which of the following?

Why are learning curves useful in business?

What are some of the factors that stimulate learning?

The unit improvement factor is not as useful as arithmetic tabulation of learning curve statistics in adjusting time estimates for learning.

A learning curve shows the decrease in time required for each successive unit completed.

The unit improvement factor for a 60 percent learning curve at 25 units is 0.0933.The first and second timings of a person doing a job are 5 minutes and 3 minutes, respectively.The learning-adjusted time estimate for the unit number 25 is 0.0933 minute.

The 50^th repetition of a job is timed at 100 minutes.If the learning curve for this job is 90 percent, what is the estimated time for the 100^th repetition of this job?

A company can produce a product the first time at a cost of $2,500.If its 85 percent learning curve allows the company to reduce its costs on each product, what is the total cost of producing 400 units of the new product? _________________

Which of the following computational methods are used to calculate learning curve statistics?

A company can produce a small lot of products the first time at a cost of $10,000.If their 75 percent learning curve allows them to reduce their costs on each lot, what is the total cost of producing 10 lots?

You time someone completing a single task the first time at 120 minutes, and the second time they do the task it takes 108 minutes.You should use a 90 percent learning curve to estimate the length of time this worker will take to complete this task in the future.

You time someone completing a single task the first time at 100 minutes, and the second time they do the task it takes 90 minutes.You should use a 90 percent learning curve to estimate the length of time this worker will take to complete this task in the future.

With a 70 percent unit improvement factor learning curve and an initial time of 100 minutes to do a job, at what number of repetitions does the job take less than 50 minutes?

You have just timed a person doing a job a four times.The first time it took the person 120 minutes, the second time it took 90 minutes, the third time it took 76.1 minutes, and the fourth time it took 67.5 minutes.Which learning curve unit improvement factor should you use?

An assumption of learning curves is that the time required to complete a unit will increase at an increasing rate as the cumulative number of units completed increases.

An assumption of learning curve theory is which of the following?

Describe an example of industrial learning where learning curve analysis might be useful.