Question 1

An 80% learning curve means that with each unit increase in production, labour requirements fall by 20%.

Accepted Answer

An 80% learning curve means that with each doubling of cumulative production, the labor requirements per unit fall to 80% of the previous level, not a 20% reduction with each unit increase.

Question 2

The learning curve may not be permanent; it can be disrupted by changes in process, personnel, or product.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. The learning curve is not a fixed or permanent phenomenon and can be disrupted by various factors such as changes in the process, personnel, or product being manufactured. As such, companies need to continuously monitor and evaluate the learning curve to remain competitive and efficient in their operations.

Question 3

Reevaluation of learning curves is inappropriate.

Accepted Answer

Reevaluation of learning curves is important to assess progress and identify areas for improvement. It allows for adjustment and refinement of teaching strategies and learning objectives.

Question 4

Experience curves are the opposite of learning curves-as one rises, the other falls.

Accepted Answer

Experience curves and learning curves both describe the phenomenon where costs decrease as experience and production volume increase, not opposite trends.

Question 5

A project manager bases his time and labour estimates on a learning curve of 86%. The actual learning curve turns out to be 89%. The manager, because of the decreased learning, will complete his project in more time and with more labour use.

Accepted Answer

A higher learning curve (in this case, 89%) means that fewer labor hours are required to complete the project compared to a lower learning curve (86%). Therefore, since the actual learning curve is higher than estimated, the project will require less time and labor to complete, not more.

Question 6

On an ordinary graph, unit times decrease at a decreasing rate, but on a log-log graph, the learning "curve" appears as a straight line.

Accepted Answer

This is because on a log-log graph, both the x and y axes are logarithmic, which means that equal changes in x- and y-values are proportional to each other. This results in a straight line, even if the original data had a decreasing rate of change.

Question 7

The logarithmic approach to learning curve calculations allows us to determine the hours required for any unit.

Accepted Answer

The logarithmic approach to learning curves is used to estimate the time required to produce subsequent units of production, assuming that the time to produce a unit decreases at a decreasing rate as more units are produced. This method allows for the calculation of hours required for any given unit based on past performance and learning rates.

Question 8

In the logarithmic approach formula to compute the time for the Nth unit, T_N = T₁N^b, the exponent b is the learning curve rate L, expressed as a decimal.

Accepted Answer

In the logarithmic approach formula to compute the time for the Nth unit, the exponent b is related to the learning curve rate L, but it is not equal to L. Instead, b is calculated using the formula b = log(L) / log(2), where L is the learning curve rate expressed as a decimal.

Question 9

The earliest application of learning curves appears in the work of architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

Accepted Answer

The concept of learning curves was first applied in the context of manufacturing by T.P. Wright in 1936, who demonstrated how airplane manufacturing costs decreased with increased production due to learning and efficiency improvements, not by architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

Question 10

Experience curves may be valid for industrial applications, but have no role in services such as health care procedures.

Accepted Answer

Experience curves can also be applied to services such as health care procedures. As more procedures are done, the providers become more efficient and the cost per procedure decreases. This can also lead to improvements in quality and outcomes.

Question 11

A 90% learning curve implies that each time the production volume is doubled the direct time per unit is reduced to 90% of its previous value.

Accepted Answer

A 90% learning curve means that for each doubling of production volume, the direct labor time per unit decreases by 10%. In other words, if the first unit takes 10 hours to produce, the second unit will take 9 hours, the fourth unit will take 8.1 hours, and so on.

Question 12

If the learning curve for a process is 100%, then each unit in a series of units will have the same labour requirements.

Accepted Answer

If the learning curve is 100%, it means that the labor requirements for each unit decrease by a consistent percentage. Therefore, each unit will have the same labor requirements.

Question 13

Learning curves are based on the premise that people and organizations become better at their tasks as the tasks are repeated.

Accepted Answer

Learning curves are based on the concept of learning by doing, where as people and organizations repeatedly perform a task, they become more efficient and effective at it. This is the basis for the learning curve phenomenon.

Question 14

A firm that successfully pursues a steeper-than-industry-average learning curve and manages costs down may still fail if, by underestimating a strong competitor, it fails to gain the added volume necessary for the learning curve to exist.

Accepted Answer

The statement is true. Even if a firm pursues a steeper learning curve and manages costs down, it may still fail if it underestimates a strong competitor and fails to gain the necessary volume for the learning curve to exist.

Question 15

Learning curves can be used to establish budgets.

Accepted Answer

Learning curves can help project managers and budget planners estimate the cost of labor and resources needed as workers become more efficient over time. By analyzing the learning curve, they can make predictions about future costs and adjust budgets accordingly.

Question 16

Learning curves can only be applied to labour.

Accepted Answer

Learning curves can also be applied to machines, processes or other activities.

Question 17

The learning curve in the steel industry and the learning curve in heart transplant operations have both been estimated at 79%.

Accepted Answer

Both the learning curve in the steel industry and the learning curve in heart transplant operations have been estimated to be 79%.

Question 18

The arithmetic approach (or successive doubling approach) to learning curve calculations allows us to determine the hours required for any unit.

Accepted Answer

The arithmetic approach (or successive doubling approach) is not used for learning curve calculations, which typically involve a percentage reduction in time or cost with each doubling of units produced, indicating a geometric or logarithmic relationship, not an arithmetic one.

Question 19

The learning curve coefficient approach may be simpler to use than the logarithmic approach, but it requires the presence of a table of learning coefficients.

Accepted Answer

The statement is correct. The learning curve coefficient approach does require the use of a table of learning coefficients, but it may be easier for some to use than the logarithmic approach.

Question 20

If the first unit in a series of units takes 200 days to complete, and the learning curve is 80%, then the second unit will take 160 days.

Accepted Answer

With a learning curve of 80%, the time required to complete a unit decreases by 20% each time the production quantity is doubled. Therefore, the second unit would take 0.8 times the time required for the first unit, which is 0.8 x 200 = 160 days.

Quiz 22: Learning Curves