W1 Discussion

Question A

Tell us about yourself so we can get to know you and so you can get to know others
within the class. In your post, include what you believe to be your current knowledge
level of this course topic and what you hope to learn before the course is over.

Question B

Why is it important for engineers to study economics? Give examples.

Important Message: this is just a preview of the week one discussion. The
real discussion will be available for you to post the first day of class.

Week 2-8 Discussion Questions

W2 Discussion

How do spreadsheets help in analyzing a problem? Should they be used in every

instant?
W3 Discussion

Why have more than one rate (e.g., Nominal and Effective Interest Rates), and what is
the difference between them?

W4 Discussion

How is Present Worth Analysis used for Projects? Please give an example either from
a real world project you've worked on, or perform a Google search for an example of an
engineering project where PWA is used in the economic reports. If you find an example
from the Internet, please include a link to the PDF or website. If you choose to use an
example from your professional life, please attach the section of the economic report
where PWA is used (be sure to replace any confidential/personal details with generic
information or black out that information in your attachment)

W5 Discussion

Why is the Annual Worth Calculation used when considering long life investment
alternatives?

W6 Discussion

Why is the Rate of Return often used incorrectly or misused or misunderstood? Create
or do a Google search for an engineering economics scenario where the rate or return
is used incorrectly, then explain how it should be used or misinterpreted.

W7 Discussion

How is time different in public vs. private sector projects and what impact does it have
on decisions?

W8 Discussion

Why is sensitivity used and how does it impact breakeven analysis?