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SPI 0807.T/E.3Intended Benefits and

Unintended Consequences

Which choice below is an unintended consequence of building a wind trubine to create electricity from the wind?A) less greenhouse gases in the atmosphereB) more electricity available for consumersC) polluting the water with hazardous chemicalD) spinning turbine blades sometimes kill birds

Science

Intended Purpose/Consequences: When a company designs a new product, they are addressing a need.

(This is Step 1 of the engineering design process).This need is connected with and is essentially the same as the intended purpose. The intended purpose/benefit is what the engineers purposely include when designing some product or process.

NotesSPI 0807.T/E.3

Intended Benefits and Unintended Consequences

Science

Example: Cell phones -The need being addressed is communication. Likewise the intended purpose is more effective communication.

What is the intended purpose/benefit?

Another Example: Automotive Technology

(cars and trucks)

Unintended consequences: …are uses or results that engineers DO NOT purposely include when designing some product or process.…these are things that WERE NOT part of the design plan.

NotesSPI 0807.T/E.3

Intended Benefits and Unintended Consequences

Science

Example: Cell phones and Cars -One unintended consequence is wrecking your car while talking or texting while driving.

Cell phones and cars were not designed to cause traffic accidents

Intended benefit -cell phones were designed for communicationIntended benefit -cars were designed for transportation

Intended benefit – something intended to happen

Unintended consequence – a result that wasn’t planned

NOTE: Unintended consequences are not always negative. Sometimes they are very positive and beneficial

Example: In WWII, engineers invented sonar to allow submarines to navigate underwater and to destroy enemy ships.

NotesSPI 0807.T/E.3

Intended Benefits and Unintended Consequences

Science

Sonogram image (baby boy-7 months)

Sonogram image (baby girl-8 months)

One positive unintended consequence is sonagrams (ultra-sound) for babies.

Copy and fill in the concept map below

Cars

Intended?

Intended? Unintended?

Unintended?

ReviewSPI 0807.T/E.3

Intended Benefits and Unintended Consequences

Science

Copy and fill in the concept map below

Video Games

Intended?

Intended? Unintended?

Unintended?

ReviewSPI 0807.T/E.3

Intended Benefits and Unintended Consequences

Science

a. The amount of fuel consumption would go down.

b. Their would be a huge improvement in gas mileage.

c. All the gas station owners would lose money.

d. Conservation of fossil fuels would decrease.

Currently the average fuel consumption per car in the United States is about 30 miles a gallon. If tomorrow engineers invented a new engine that changed the average fuel consumption rate per car to 100 miles a gallon, what would be one unintended consequence?