As technology rapidly progresses, the issue with artificial intelligence overwhelms us with many questions. Proponents believe it is the solution to society's most complex challenges but critics argue that it threatens to fundamentally alter the human way of life in such a way that poses an "existential threat" to mankind. In the TED Talk, Sam Harris does bring up the potential danger of AI acting independently of our control and may acquire the ability to refine themselves. To deal with this situation is tricky because there is always the doubts of the unknown and the fear to conquer them. In my personal opinion, there is no definite possibility or impossibility. AI could have the tendency to overpower the human race. For a fact, they are the manifestation of society's intelligence and innovation. In the essence, what is the nature of humanity versus the nature of AI? In many ways, we as humans are superior to artificial machinery. For example, we have the ability to learn from past experiences, adapt to new circumstances and change our own environments based on our accumulated knowledge. AI, on the other hand, is simply a tool of study and design that produces actions to maximize our success. In the essence, AI is being programmed to mimic human behavior while human intelligence is the real creator of artificial intelligence.   

It is true that in some aspects AI can outsmart human intelligence but our fear of the unknown should not be an excuse to prevent the next wave of technological and human progression. In the similar way that we utilize eco-friendly resources for the benefit of the society, we can manage to employ the adequate precautions and regulations necessary to create human- friendly AI that could be developed to serve humans rather than threaten them. In the bottom line, we need to be careful about the decisions we make and prepare for the consequences of our own actions. Always be better safe than sorry.

Superheated steam at 20 MPa, 640°C enters the turbine of a vapor power plant. The pressure at the exit of the turbine is 0.5 bar, and liquid leaves the condenser at 0.4 bar at 75°C. The pressure is increased to 20.1 MPa across the pump. The turbine and pump have isentropic efficiencies of 81 and 85%, respectively. Cooling water enters the condenser at 20°C with a mass flow rate of 70.7 kg/s and exits the condenser at 38°C. For the cycle, determine: (a) the mass flow rate of steam, in kg/s. (b) the percent thermal efficiency.

A ball rolls down from the top of an incline with a height of 5 m high without slipping. The ball has a diameter of 0.2m. What are the ball’s translational speeds a) at the center of the ball, b) at the contact point on the ground, and c) at the top of the ball when it arrives at the bottom? What values of "c" do you expect for hollow/solid balls? Will the hollow ball be faster?

A nuclear power plant based on the Rankine cycle operates with a boiling-water reactor to develop net cycle power of 3 MW. Steam exits the reactor core at 100 bar, 620°C and expands through the turbine to the condenser pressure of 1 bar. Saturated liquid exits the condenser and is pumped to the reactor pressure of 100 bar. Isentropic efficiencies of the turbine and pump are 81% and 78%, respectively. Cooling water enters the condenser at 15°C with a mass flow rate of 114.79 kg/s.


Determine:

(a) the percent thermal efficiency.

(b) the temperature of the cooling water exiting the condenser, in °C.

2.21 Use IHT to perform the following tasks.
(a) Graph the thermal conductivity of pure copper,
2024 aluminum, and AISI 302 stainless steel over
the temperature range 300 T 600 K. Include
all data on a single graph, and comment on the
trends you observe.
(b) Graph the thermal conductivity of helium and air
over the temperature range 300 T 800 K.
Include the data on a single graph, and comment on
the trends you observe.
(c) Graph the kinematic viscosity of engine oil,

ethylene glycol, and liquid water over the tempera-
ture range 300 T 360 K. Include all data on

a single graph, and comment on the trends you
observe.
(d) Graph the thermal conductivity of a water-Al2O3
nanofluid at T 300 K over the volume fraction
range 0 0.08. See Example 2.2.

In matlab.write a program that converts a numerical date given by the user into a month, day, and year. Specifically, the user should input a sequence of eight numbers 05141956.

the program should print out the same date in complete format. In this example it would print "The date is May 14th, 1956". Notice the "th" addition after the day. This changes depending on the number. Make sure this feature is included. MATLAB has built-in date conversion functions. You cannot use them in this exercise.

If you were given the choice to make the laptop cover of steel or
polymers. Which do you prefer and why?

1. A flywheel is the shape of a sphere of radius R. Calculate the stored energy again for rotation time T and total mass M. Do not attempt to use moment of inertia or rotational mechanics, do it the way we did in class.

2. Find an exercise calorie website, and for a 70 kg person walking on a treadmill at 5 kilometers per hour, by varying the grade of the treadmill, plot the work output power (of lifting the person) vs. the fuel (food) consumption input power of the person. That is, for different grades, (% incline), find the fuel consumption in watts, and calculate the work output of the person lifting themselves against gravity, and plot work output vs. fuel consumption. Note that a 10 % grade means climbing 15 feet for every 100 feet of horizontal travel, so you will have to a little trigonometry here. What is the differential efficiency of the person, that is, for dx increase in fuel consumption, which results in dy increase in work output, the differential efficiency is dy/dx. Where does the input power that does not result in useful lifting work go?

You are designing an aircraft to fly slowly at high altitude, so you want to minimize induced drag. Which of the following statements best describes the likely shape of the wing you will design?

Review the two videos (1) “Steam Power Plant” and (2) Gas Turbine. For each one, identify at least three examples of the design for each of the following criteria:

1. Energy performance (e.g. improved efficiency, higher power output, ...)

2. Economic considerations (reduced cost)

3. Environmental considerations (reduced emissions, etc.).

* Link of video 1 - https://youtu.be/xokHLFE96h8

Click on 1st video (how a thermal power plant works)

* Link of video 2 - https://youtu.be/GF-70yncAVY

Click on industrial gas turbine working principle

Uniform internal heat generation at  q˙⁢ = 2.00 × 10⁷ W/m³ is occurring in a cylindrical nuclear reactor fuel rod of 50-mm diameter, and under steady-state conditions the temperature distribution is of the form T(r)=a+br^2, where T is in degrees Celsius and r is in meters, while a= 800 °C and b= -4.167 × 10⁵ °C/m². The fuel rod properties are k= 30 W/m·K, ρ= 1100 kg/m³, and cp= 800 J/kg·K.

Find the steady state temperature gradient, d⁢T/d⁢r, at the outer surface of the rod, in °C/m.

What is the steady state rate of heat transfer at the outer surface, in W/m?

Immediately after the sudden increase in reactor power level (at t= 0 sec), what is the temperature at the centerline?

Immediately after the sudden increase in reactor power level (at t= 0 sec), what is the time rate of temperature change, d⁢T/d⁢t, at the centerline, in °C/s?

In one or two sentences describe the corrosion failure mode. What is one visual cue to indicate corrosion? Does corrosion always necessitate part replacement?

Say that you are looking to buy a small call and want to get a very efficient car. You are trying to decide between a hybrids car and an electric car. Hyundai offers the Ioniq in a hybrid gas and an all-electric model. Compare these models by filling in the table below.

Measure 2017 Ioniq blue 2017 Ioniq electric

MPG combined (epa)

MPG city (epa)

MPG highway (epa)

CO2 produced per mile (g/mi) in Columbia, Mo Fuel cost to drive 25mi ($)

Horse power (hp)

Torque (ft-lbf)

Range (mi)

Which would you buy and why?

1. A 150-kg sewing machine operates at 1200 RPM and has a rotating unbalance of 0.45 kg-m. What is the max stiffness of an undamped isolator such that the force transmitted to the machine’s foundation is less than:

a) 1547

b) 2547

2. Redesign helicopter seat (i.e. find new stiffness) so that the maximum velocity experienced by the pilot is 1 mm/sec.