Using Data to Optimize Your Vending Machine
Engineers think about optimizing all their designs. How can we use a vending machine as a case study for optimization?Copyright Christina Hartman, Utah State University
Using concepts of optimization and trade-offs, students must stock a vending machine with popular drinks so they can earn maximum profits to fundraise for a club. Students collect data to determine the most popular drinks among their peers and are presented with a scenario where they need to make an adjustment to their selection. They’re given real-world examples of optimizing in engineering to illustrate the importance of collecting data to improve design-making.
Real-world engineers use optimization to ensure that they’re not wasting resources or time, which ultimately leads to wasted money. Optimization is an important real-world practice among all types of engineers, in the public and private sectors. Along these lines, trade-offs must be made in order to achieve the best possible results. Students are also introduced to the concept of criteria and constraints, which is key across engineering disciplines. Bonus – learn how a vending machine works!
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Understand and explain the concepts of optimizing, criteria, and constraints.
- Optimize simple processes.
- Evaluate data and improve data collection methodologies.
- Identify criteria and constraints for processes and devices.