ISE 3600 final exam questions with
complete solutions
ergonomics - ANSWERSdesigning work systems around capabilities and limitations of people
What are some general trends regarding the incidence of back injuries? Who is affected? How
long do these injuries last? - ANSWERS2/3 of the population will suffer from low back pain
Back injuries have reduced over the past decade, but continue to occur
benefits of ergonomics - ANSWERSReduce potential for injury/discomfort, make work tasks
easier, reduce fatigue, more productive at work and at home, improve work quality, reduced
accidents, increased productivity, reduced absenteeism
Who is affected by back injuries? - ANSWERSMostly in ages 25-54, men more likely
How is ergonomics different from other approaches that aim to prevent workplace injury? -
ANSWERSit isn't just common sense, it is based on science. It is based on analysis of the job and
scientific evidence and is evaluated in terms of their effect on the work system.
How long do these back injuries last? - ANSWERS100 million workdays lost per year in the U.S.
25% of the time injuries last more than 31 days
Time lost is between 1-31 days (Most 3-5, or >31)
Flexion - ANSWERScurling posture (bending wrist inwards, flexing biceps, spine flexion is
bending forward and touching your toes, raising arm)
,What does the front part of the vertebra (the vertebral body) do? - ANSWERSThe vertebral body
is the main portion of the vertebra. It bears about 80% of the load while standing and provides
an attachment for the discs between the vertebrae.
Extension - ANSWERSOpposite of flexion (pulling arm backwards, bending backwards)
What do the components on the posterior portion (a.k.a. posterior elements or components) of
the vertebrae do? - ANSWERSThe Posterior elements are there to protect the spinal cord. You
can feel the back of the spinal cord when you feel your back. The Facet Joints connect
vertebrae. They go up and down to attach.
Abduction - ANSWERSaway from the center of the body
Cervical Region - Neck - ANSWERS7 Vertebra
Adduction - ANSWERStoward the center of the body
Thoracic Region - Ribs - ANSWERS12 Vertebra
Lumbar Region - low back - ANSWERS5 Vertebra
Pronation - ANSWERSrotating from neutral to palm facing down
Supination - ANSWERSrotating from neutral to palm facing up
How can these spinal regions be injured? - ANSWERSVertebral damage due to anterior-posterior
shear forces (pushing and pulling tasks) and repeated full range of motion cycles that cause
fatigue damage (such as a gymnast)
,Lateral bending/lateral flexion - ANSWERSleaning toward the side
What are factors that affect whether tendons and ligaments will be injured? - ANSWERSThe rate
of loading, amount of load, repetition, existing damage
3 strategies for anthropometric design - ANSWERSExtreme (fit- desk, clothes, door height vs.
reach- shelves, windows), mean (average man- countertop height, chair height), adjustability
(bike, ski binding)
Ligaments - ANSWERSconnect bone to bone
have more elastic fibers than tendons
slow to heal
When do we design for "reach" - ANSWERSthe upper 95% is accommodated, i.e. brake pedals,
controls, safety shutoff, excludes short people
Tendons - ANSWERSconnect bone to muscle
Tough band-like material
Composed largely of collagen (fibrous material)
have more collagen than ligaments
slow to heal
When do we design for "fit" - ANSWERSthe lower 95% is accomodated, i.e. roof in a car, leg
room on an airplane, excludes tall people
, What does cartilage do? - ANSWERSIt absorbs shock, distributes loads, and prevents direct wear
on bones by allowing movement of opposing joint surfaces with minimal friction and wear.
Why don't we design for everyone? - ANSWERSIt isn't possible to accommodate every design
for every person because not everyone is proportional and we cannot collect data on every
single person. Cost issues.
Where is cartilage found in the human body? - ANSWERSIt is found in the spine: between
vertebrae as intervertebral discs, and around the facet joints.
How are anthropometric data collected - ANSWERSVarious measurements are collected in
regards to the human body, like distance from wrist to shoulder, leg length, shoulder height, etc.
This data can be found online (military data), do measurements yourself.
How are nutrients delivered to cartilage tissues? - ANSWERSNutrition is provided to cartilage
through diffusion (no blood vessels)
What are the two main parts of bone? - ANSWERSOuter and inner
When can we use one anthropometric dimension to predict another? When shouldn't we do
this? - ANSWERSBody dimensions are not well correlated with each other. When one uses more
than one body dimension in a design the percentage of the population accommodated is less
than for each dimension individually. However, something like height and shoulder height could
be more proportional than something such as shoulder breadth and arm length (if there is a
clear correlation).
What are some of the key assumptions we make regarding anthropometric data? -
ANSWERSThe data has a normal distribution, high variability, little correlation between
dimensions.
outer bone - ANSWERScompact bone provides strength and stiffness
complete solutions
ergonomics - ANSWERSdesigning work systems around capabilities and limitations of people
What are some general trends regarding the incidence of back injuries? Who is affected? How
long do these injuries last? - ANSWERS2/3 of the population will suffer from low back pain
Back injuries have reduced over the past decade, but continue to occur
benefits of ergonomics - ANSWERSReduce potential for injury/discomfort, make work tasks
easier, reduce fatigue, more productive at work and at home, improve work quality, reduced
accidents, increased productivity, reduced absenteeism
Who is affected by back injuries? - ANSWERSMostly in ages 25-54, men more likely
How is ergonomics different from other approaches that aim to prevent workplace injury? -
ANSWERSit isn't just common sense, it is based on science. It is based on analysis of the job and
scientific evidence and is evaluated in terms of their effect on the work system.
How long do these back injuries last? - ANSWERS100 million workdays lost per year in the U.S.
25% of the time injuries last more than 31 days
Time lost is between 1-31 days (Most 3-5, or >31)
Flexion - ANSWERScurling posture (bending wrist inwards, flexing biceps, spine flexion is
bending forward and touching your toes, raising arm)
,What does the front part of the vertebra (the vertebral body) do? - ANSWERSThe vertebral body
is the main portion of the vertebra. It bears about 80% of the load while standing and provides
an attachment for the discs between the vertebrae.
Extension - ANSWERSOpposite of flexion (pulling arm backwards, bending backwards)
What do the components on the posterior portion (a.k.a. posterior elements or components) of
the vertebrae do? - ANSWERSThe Posterior elements are there to protect the spinal cord. You
can feel the back of the spinal cord when you feel your back. The Facet Joints connect
vertebrae. They go up and down to attach.
Abduction - ANSWERSaway from the center of the body
Cervical Region - Neck - ANSWERS7 Vertebra
Adduction - ANSWERStoward the center of the body
Thoracic Region - Ribs - ANSWERS12 Vertebra
Lumbar Region - low back - ANSWERS5 Vertebra
Pronation - ANSWERSrotating from neutral to palm facing down
Supination - ANSWERSrotating from neutral to palm facing up
How can these spinal regions be injured? - ANSWERSVertebral damage due to anterior-posterior
shear forces (pushing and pulling tasks) and repeated full range of motion cycles that cause
fatigue damage (such as a gymnast)
,Lateral bending/lateral flexion - ANSWERSleaning toward the side
What are factors that affect whether tendons and ligaments will be injured? - ANSWERSThe rate
of loading, amount of load, repetition, existing damage
3 strategies for anthropometric design - ANSWERSExtreme (fit- desk, clothes, door height vs.
reach- shelves, windows), mean (average man- countertop height, chair height), adjustability
(bike, ski binding)
Ligaments - ANSWERSconnect bone to bone
have more elastic fibers than tendons
slow to heal
When do we design for "reach" - ANSWERSthe upper 95% is accommodated, i.e. brake pedals,
controls, safety shutoff, excludes short people
Tendons - ANSWERSconnect bone to muscle
Tough band-like material
Composed largely of collagen (fibrous material)
have more collagen than ligaments
slow to heal
When do we design for "fit" - ANSWERSthe lower 95% is accomodated, i.e. roof in a car, leg
room on an airplane, excludes tall people
, What does cartilage do? - ANSWERSIt absorbs shock, distributes loads, and prevents direct wear
on bones by allowing movement of opposing joint surfaces with minimal friction and wear.
Why don't we design for everyone? - ANSWERSIt isn't possible to accommodate every design
for every person because not everyone is proportional and we cannot collect data on every
single person. Cost issues.
Where is cartilage found in the human body? - ANSWERSIt is found in the spine: between
vertebrae as intervertebral discs, and around the facet joints.
How are anthropometric data collected - ANSWERSVarious measurements are collected in
regards to the human body, like distance from wrist to shoulder, leg length, shoulder height, etc.
This data can be found online (military data), do measurements yourself.
How are nutrients delivered to cartilage tissues? - ANSWERSNutrition is provided to cartilage
through diffusion (no blood vessels)
What are the two main parts of bone? - ANSWERSOuter and inner
When can we use one anthropometric dimension to predict another? When shouldn't we do
this? - ANSWERSBody dimensions are not well correlated with each other. When one uses more
than one body dimension in a design the percentage of the population accommodated is less
than for each dimension individually. However, something like height and shoulder height could
be more proportional than something such as shoulder breadth and arm length (if there is a
clear correlation).
What are some of the key assumptions we make regarding anthropometric data? -
ANSWERSThe data has a normal distribution, high variability, little correlation between
dimensions.
outer bone - ANSWERScompact bone provides strength and stiffness
