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Autonomous Vehicles Ethics and Engineering
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Autonomous Vehicles Ethics and Engineering
Autonomous Vehicles Ethics and Engineering
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1
Question
During the development of a new autonomous vehicle AV, engineers are asked to program the AV to break minor traffic laws e.g., rolling through stop signs or speeding slightly in low-risk situations to improve efficiency and human-like driving behaviour. One team member objects, stating that AVs must always follow traffic laws, even when it is inconvenient because breaking the rules no matter how minor sets a dangerous precedent and undermines public trust. Which ethical framework best supports this position?
Answer
A Kants Formalism
2
Question
Which of the following best reflects an engineers duty to the public as outlined by the Engineers Canada and Professional Engineers Ontario Code of Ethics?
Answer
A Holding paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public, even when doing so may delay deliverables or conflict with client instructions.
3
Question
An autonomous vehicle must decide whether to swerve into a barrier to avoid hitting five jaywalking pedestrians who suddenly step into the road. The action would destroy the vehicle and likely kill its passenger. Which ethical framework best justifies programming the vehicle to swerve and sacrifice the passenger to minimize total harm?
Answer
B Mills Utilitarianism
4
Question
You are part of a multidisciplinary engineering team developing a safety-critical autonomous system. During system integration, you notice that a teammates code introduces a logic flaw that could potentially cause unsafe autonomous behaviours under rare environmental condi- tions. The teammate dismisses your concern, citing low probability and schedule pressure. According to the Professional Engineers Ontario Code of Ethics, what is the most ethically responsible action?
Answer
C Document the issue, initiate a respectful team-level discussion, and if unresolved, es- calate through appropriate channels
5
Question
What is the primary function of ethical frameworks in engineering design?
Answer
To provide structure and guide engineers in evaluating impacts, fairness, and outcomes.
6
Question
Why is a hardbound engineering design logbook necessary?
Answer
To prevent tampering of recorded entries and ensure chronological integrity.
7
Question
Which ethical framework best supports the engineer's argument for passenger privacy and informed consent in autonomous vehicle data collection?
Answer
Lockes Rights Ethics
8
Question
What is the Critical Path in project management?
Answer
The sequence of tasks with zero slack
9
Question
What does 'slack' refer to in project scheduling?
Answer
Time flexibility in non-critical tasks
10
Question
Which formula is used to calculate the expected time in PERT analysis?
Answer
Optimistic time + 4*Most likely time + Pessimistic time / 6
11
Question
What is a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)?
Answer
A hierarchical decomposition of tasks
12
Question
What is the main goal of verification in software engineering?
Answer
Ensuring the software is being built correctly
13
Question
Which action violates acceptable engineering logbook standards?
Answer
Leaving half a page blank and writing the next entry on the following page.
14
Question
According to the PEO Code of Ethics, what is an engineer's duty to the public?
Answer
Holding paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public, even when doing so may delay deliverables or conflict with client instructions.
15
Question
According to Dr. Jason Millar, what does technology do?
Answer
All of the above.
16
Question
Which ethical framework might guide a city government's decision to allow autonomous vehicle testing?
Answer
Mill
17
Question
What factors should be considered when assessing the ethical design decisions of an autonomous vehicle?
Answer
All of the above
18
Question
Which scenario demonstrates the best use of logbook documentation as a reflection and learning tool for future projects?
Answer
A logbook that contains summary reflections written by the team lead
19
Question
What is the best way to document test failures, revisions, and improvements in an engineering project?
Answer
A logbook entry that outlines a test failure, analyzes causes, documents revisions, and suggests improvements.
20
Question
According to Dr. Jason Millar's lecture, who should have the moral authority in autonomous vehicle decision-making?
Answer
This question is designed to be tricky, as Dr. Millar's lecture explores different viewpoints on this matter.
21
Question
How should a Kanban board be used in conjunction with a Gantt chart in engineering project management?
Answer
The Kanban board visualizes dynamic, short-term sub-tasks that contribute to larger Gantt chart tasks, enabling day-to-day task management.
22
Question
Which statement best describes engineering requirements?
Answer
Requirements should be SMART - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
23
Question
What is an example of a valid design specification for an obstacle detection system using an ultrasonic sensor?
Answer
The sensor must detect objects within 0.5-2.0 meters with 5 cm error.
24
Question
Which of the following best defines a performance requirement in an engineering design project?
Answer
C A testable, measurable design criterion that must be met for success.
25
Question
You are managing a project where Activity A (2 weeks, 1000), Activity B (3 weeks, 1500), and Activity C (4 weeks, 2000) form the critical path. Which activity should be crashed first to reduce project duration at the lowest cost?
Answer
A Activity A, if it can be reduced to 1 week at an additional cost of 300.
26
Question
A project consists of activities with durations given using the PERT 3-point estimate formula. What is the total project duration along the critical path using expected times?
Answer
B 13 weeks
27
Question
A student team is building a lane detection algorithm. They test on recorded video clips, then integrate with the real-time driving pipeline, and finally re-run tests after an update. Which sequence best describes the types of testing being applied?
Answer
C Simulation Integration Regression
28
Question
In the context of engineering system design, which of the following best describes a benefit of using a computational graph?
Answer
E It visualizes the flow of data and operations, helping to identify dependencies, bottlenecks, and opportunities for parallel execution.
29
Question
In a Gantt chart, Task A (2 days) and Task B (3 days) both begin on Monday, and Task B cannot start until Task A is finished. What is the earliest possible completion day for Task B?
Answer
Friday
30
Question
An engineering student realizes they made a calculation error in a previous logbook entry. What is the most appropriate way to correct this? A Erase the incorrect entry and rewrite it. B Use correction fluid to cover the error and add the new value. C Draw a single line through the error, write the correction beside it, and initial it. D Tear out the page and redo the calculations on a new page. E Leave the error and add a sticky note with the correction.
Answer
C Draw a single line through the error, write the correction beside it, and initial it.