Deck 13: Statistical Quality Control

Question 1

An example of assignable variation in a production system may be that a machine is not adjusted properly.

Answer 1

True
Explanation: For example, variation caused by workers not being equally trained or by improper machine adjustment is assignable variation.

Question 2

An example of assignable variation in a production system may be that workers are not identically trained.

Answer 2

True
Explanation: For example, variation caused by workers not being equally trained or by improper machine adjustment is assignable variation.

Question 3

If the fraction defective is 0.4 based on a sample size of 100, the standard deviation used in the p-chart is about 0.10.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Variation in production systems that is caused by factors that can be clearly identified and possibly even managed is called assignable variation.

Question 5

Acceptance sampling is performed on goods that already exist to determine what percentage of items conforms to specifications.

Question 6

In acceptance sampling, the number of units in the sample (n) is determined by the interaction of the acceptable quality level (AQL), the lot tolerance percent defective (LTPD), the probability of rejecting a high-quality lot (alpha), and the probability of accepting a low-quality lot (beta).

Question 7

Attributes are those quality characteristics that are classified as either conforming or not conforming to specification.

Question 8

Genichi Taguchi's view of the cost of quality is that variance is a discontinuous function.

Question 9

It is impossible to have zero variability in production processes.

Question 10

Process control is concerned with monitoring quality after the product or service has been produced.

Question 11

The p-chart is only useful for sampling that deals with continuous variables.

Question 12

Variation that is inherent in a production process itself is called common variation.

Question 13

A p-chart has upper and lower control limits expressed as lines on the chart.As long as the sample values fall between these two lines, there is no need to investigate process behavior.

Question 14

Measurement by attributes means taking a sample, measuring the attribute in question, and determining the level of quality in the population from which the sample was drawn.

Question 15

To obtain a 99.7 percent confidence level in a p-chart, we would use a value of 3 for "z".

Question 16

Variation that is inherent in a production process itself is called assignable variation.

Question 17

Statistical process control involves testing random samples of output from a process to determine whether the process is producing items within a preselected range.

Question 18

If the fraction defective is 0.12 based on a sample size of 16, the standard deviation used in the p-chart is about 0.08.

Question 19

The value for "z" used in quality control charts is based on the degree of confidence you want to have in the resulting UCL and LCL values.

Question 20

The capability index is used to gauge economic changes in service systems.

Question 21

Total, 100 percent inspection can never be cost justified.

Question 22

You have just used the capability index (Cpk) formulas to compute the two values "min [1, 1]." Which of the following is the proper interpretation of these numbers?

A)The true capability index value is exactly 1.
B)The mean of the production process has shifted to the left of the design limits.
C)The mean of the production process has shifted to the right of the design limits.
D)The mean has not shifted at all.
E)None of these

Question 23

The probability associated with rejecting a high-quality lot is denoted in acceptance sampling with the Greek letter alpha.

Question 24

In acceptance sampling, the value for the acceptance number (c) is determined by the interaction of the acceptable quality level (AQL), the lot tolerance percent defective (LTPD), the probability of rejecting a high-quality lot (alpha), and the probability of accepting a low-quality lot (beta).

Question 25

You have just used the capability index (Cpk) formulas to compute the two values "min [2, 2.5]." Which of the following is the proper interpretation of these numbers?

A)The true capability index value is 2.5.
B)The mean of the production process has shifted to the left of the design limits.
C)The mean of the production process has shifted to the right of the design limits.
D)The mean has not shifted at all.
E)The true capability index value is between 2 and 2.5.

Question 26

The capability index (Cpk) calculates the percentage of items being produced within specifications.

Question 27

In variables sampling, the actual measurements of the variable observed are used regardless of whether the unit is good or bad.

Question 28

The Greek letter alpha is associated with consumer's risk.

Question 29

Standard practice in statistical process control for variables is to set control limits so that 95 percent of the sample means will fall within the UCL and the LCL.

Question 30

The producer's risk associated with rejecting a high-quality lot is denoted in acceptance sampling with the Greek letter beta.

Question 31

One hundred percent inspection is justified when the cost of inspection is low.

Question 32

The capability index (Cpk) indicates the position of the mean and tails of a process's variance relative to design specifications.

Question 33

AQL stands for accepting questionable lots in production quality management.

Question 34

Quality control charts usually have a central line and upper and lower control limit lines.Which of the following is a reason that the process being monitored with the chart should be investigated?

A)A single plot falls above or below the control limits.
B)Behavior is normal.
C)A large number of plots are on or near the central line.
D)There is no real trend in any direction.
E)There is a change in raw materials or operators.

Question 35

In monitoring process quality, we might use which of the following statistics?

A)Absolute values
B)Percentage deviation from tolerance centers
C)"k" values for the sample mean
D)Logarithmic control intervals
E)Difference between the highest and lowest value in a sample

Question 36

LTPD in acceptance sampling stands for lot tolerance for parts defective.

Question 37

You have just used the capability index (Cpk) formulas to compute the two values "min [1.5, 1]." Which of the following is the interpretation of these numbers?

A)The true capability index value is 1.
B)The mean of the production process has shifted to the left of the design limits.
C)The mean of the production process has shifted to the right of the design limits.
D)The mean has not shifted at all.
E)The true capability index value is between 1.5 and 1.

Question 38

Sampling plans are generally displayed graphically through the use of operating characteristic (OC) curves.

Question 39

The probability associated with accepting a low-quality lot is denoted in acceptance sampling with the Greek letter alpha.

Question 40

Quality control charts usually have a central line and upper and lower control limit lines.Which of the following is not a reason that the process being monitored with the chart should be investigated?

A)A large number of plots are close to the upper or lower control lines.
B)The behavior of the plots is erratic.
C)A single plot falls above or below the control limits.
D)Thee is a change in raw materials or operators.
E)There is a run of five above the central line.

Question 41

You are going to develop an R-chart based on range statistics, and you are using a sample size of 9 for your charting purposes.Which of the following is the lower control limit D3 factor for the chart?

A)0.08
B)0.14
C)0.18
D)0.22
E)0.29

Question 42

You want to develop a three-sigma R-chart.You know the average range is 5 based on several samples of size 10.Which of the following is the resulting UCL?

A)20.9
B)8.9
C)7.02
D)5
E)3.1

Question 43

You are going to develop an R-chart based on range statistics, and you are using a sample size of 15 for your charting purposes.Which of the following is the upper control limit D4 factor for the chart?

A)1.65
B)1.70
C)1.76
D)1.87
E)1.92

Question 44

You want to determine the upper control line for a p-chart for quality control purposes.You take several samples of a size of 100 items in your production process.From the samples, you determine the fraction defective is 0.05 and the standard deviation is 0.01.If the desired confidence level is 99.7 percent, which of the following is the resulting UCL value for the line?

A)0.39
B)0.08
C)0.06
D)0.05
E)None of these

Question 45

You are developing an X-bar chart based on sample means.You know the standard deviation of the sample means is 4, the desired confidence level is 99 percent, and the average of the sample means is 20.Which of the following is your LCL?

A)36
B)24
C)9.68
D)16.79
E)30.32

Question 46

If the fraction defective is 0.12 based on a sample size of 16, what is the standard deviation to be used when constructing a p-chart? ___________________________________

Question 47

You are going to develop an X-bar chart based on range statistics, and you are using a sample size of 12 for your charting purposes.Which of the following is the A₂ factor for the X-bar chart?

A)0.37
B)0.31
C)0.27
D)0.22
E)0.18

Question 48

You want to determine the control lines for a p-chart for quality control purposes.If the total number of defects from all samples is 2,500, the number of samples is 100, and the sample size is 50, which of the following would be the standard deviation used in developing the control lines?

A)0.4900
B)0.2499
C)0.1556
D)0.0707
E)0.02499

Question 49

You want to develop a three-sigma R-chart.You know the average range is 12 based on several samples of size 6.Which of the following is the resulting LCL?

A)20.0
B)18.3
C)7.02
D)5.6
E)0.0

Question 50

If there are 400 total defects from 8 samples, each sample consisting of 20 individual items in a production process, which of the following is the fraction defective that can be used in a p-chart for quality control purposes?

A)400
B)160
C)2.5
D)1.0
E)0.4

Question 51

If there are 120 total defects from 10 samples, each sample consisting of 10 individual items in a production process, which of the following is the fraction defective that can be used in a p-chart for quality control purposes?

A)120
B)10
C)8
D)1.2
E)0.8

Question 52

You want to determine the control lines for a p-chart for quality control purposes.If the total number of defects from all samples is 560, the number of samples is 70, and the sample size is 80, which of the following would be the standard deviation used in developing the control lines?

A)0.9000
B)0.4556
C)0.0335
D)0.0011
E)0.0112

Question 53

For which of the following should we use a p-chart to monitor process quality?

A)Defective electrical switches
B)Errors in the length of a pencil
C)Weight errors in cans of soup
D)Temperature of entrees in a restaurant
E)Letter grades on a final examination

Question 54

You want to determine the control lines for a p-chart for quality control purposes.If the desired confidence level is 99 percent, which of the following values for "z" would you use in computing the UCL and LCL?

A)0.99
B)2
C)2.58
D)3
E)None of these

Question 55

For which of the following should we use an X-bar chart based on sample means to monitor process quality?

A)Grades in a freshman "pass/fail" course
B)Tire pressures in an auto assembly plant
C)Vehicles passing emissions inspection
D)Computer software errors
E)Number of units with missing operations

Question 56

You want to determine the lower control line for a p-chart for quality control purposes.You take several samples of a size of 50 items in your production process.From the samples, you determine the fraction defective is 0.006 and the standard deviation is 0.001.If the desired confidence level is 99.7 percent, which of the following is the resulting LCL value for the line?

A)0.0
B)0.002
C)0.003
D)0.004
E)None of these

Question 57

For which of the following should we use a p-chart to monitor process quality?

A)The dimensions of brick entering a kiln
B)Lengths of boards cut in a mill
C)The weight of fluid in a container
D)Grades in a freshman "pass/fail" course
E)Temperatures in a classroom

Question 58

For which of the following should we use an R-chart to monitor process quality?

A)Weighing trucks at a highway inspection station to determine if they are overloaded
B)Deciding whether an airliner has sufficient fuel for its trip
C)Student grades measured from 1 to 100
D)Determining whether vehicles from a motor pool will run
E)Determining the accuracy of a forecast of "snow"

Question 59

You are developing an X-bar chart based on sample means.You know the standard deviation of the sample means is 4, the desired confidence level is 99.7 percent, and the average of the sample means is 24.Which of the following is your UCL?

A)36
B)24
C)12
D)4
E)None of these

Question 60

For which of the following should we use an R-chart to monitor process quality?

A)Grades in a freshman "pass/fail" course
B)Tire pressures in an auto assembly plant
C)Vehicles passing emissions inspection
D)Computer software errors
E)Number of units with missing operations

Question 61

What does it mean when we say that a process is capable?

Question 62

Lots are defined as low quality when the percentage of defective units is greater than what? ________________________________________

Question 63

You have 75 total defects from 100 different samples of 15.What is p-bar? _______________________________

Question 64

You are developing an X-bar chart based on sample means.You know the standard deviation of the sample means is 4, the desired confidence level is 99 percent, and the average of the sample means is 20.What is your LCL? _________________________________________

Question 65

You are developing an X-bar chart based on sample means.You know the standard deviation of the sample means is 4, the desired confidence level is 99.7 percent, and the average of the sample means is 24.What is your UCL? ________________________________________

Question 66

You want to develop a three-sigma R-chart.You know the average range is 5 based on several samples of size 10.Which of the following is the resulting UCL? _______________________________________

Question 67

You want to determine the control lines for a p-chart for quality control purposes.If the total number of defects from all samples is 2,000, the number of samples is 100, and the sample size is 50, what would be the standard deviation used in developing the control lines? ______________________________________

Question 68

In acceptance sampling, how large is the effect of the size of the lot that the sample is taken from on the size of the sample that should be drawn? _______________________________________

Question 69

Explain the difference between producer's risk and consumer's risk in acceptance sampling.

Question 70

If the fraction defective is 0.4 based on a sample size of 100, what is the standard deviation used in constructing the p-chart? _____________________________________

Question 71

What is the symbol designating the capability index? ______________________________

Question 72

You want to determine the control lines for a p-chart for quality control purposes.If the total number of defects from all samples is 560, the number of samples is 70, and the sample size is 80, what would be the standard deviation used in developing the control lines? ______________________________________

Question 73

You want to develop a three-sigma R-chart.You know the average range is 12 based on several samples of size 6.Which of the following is the resulting LCL? ___________________________________