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Recitation 4 · In-Class Activity

[In-Class Activity] Practice It: Block Diagrams

An in-class activity from the course slides — reproduced here so you can find it again after class.

📋 What to do

  1. Pick one of the four systems in the next card.
  2. Estimate system reliability at a specific time (e.g. t = 1000 hours), assuming an exponential lifespan distribution.
  3. Copy that system's team-template slide into the shared slide deck linked from the Canvas assignment, and add your member names.
  4. Show your reliability function and your calculation on the slide.

🔧 The systems — pick one

  1. System 1 (blue). Component A in series with a parallel subsystem of W1 and W2, then component C. Failure rates: λA = 0.001, λW1 = 0.003, λW2 = 0.003, λC = 0.002. Block diagram: component A in series with a parallel subsystem of W1 and W2, then component C; lambda values 0.001, 0.003, 0.003 and 0.002
  2. System 2 (red). Component A in series with a parallel subsystem of W1 and W2, then component C — given as reliabilities rather than rates: RA(t = 1000) = 0.99, RW1 = RW2 = 0.93, RC = 0.90. Block diagram: A with R(t=1000) = 0.99 in series with a parallel subsystem of W1 and W2 at 0.93 each, then C at 0.90
  3. System 3 (yellow). A parallel subsystem of W1 and W2 at R(t = 1000) = 0.93 each, in series with a parallel subsystem of X1 and X2 at 0.99 each. Block diagram: a parallel subsystem of W1 and W2 at R(t=1000) = 0.93 in series with a parallel subsystem of X1 and X2 at 0.99
  4. System 4 (purple). Components X, Y and Z in series, mixing rates and a failure probability: λX = 0.001, λY = 0.005, and FZ(t = 1000) = 0.02. Block diagram: X, Y and Z in series, with lambda = 0.001, lambda = 0.005 and F(t=1000) = 0.02

📮 Submit

Submit on CANVAS (1 pt) — graded on completion.

Note: these instructions are the current version — the activity is written and kept up to date on this page, links to slide decks and helper materials included. Submit on Canvas; the due date and your grade live there.