CEng / IEng / EngTech via IAgrE

United Kingdom · Institution of Agricultural Engineers (licensed by the Engineering Council) · professional

46practice questions written to this syllabus
3subjects

Format

Competence review and professional review interview against UK-SPEC. No written exam.

Sections

Over the years

UK-SPEC 4th edition (in force by 31 Dec 2021). IAgrE also offers CEnv/REnvP.

Official source: https://iagre.org/professional-registration

Subjects this exam draws on

Professional Practice, Ethics & Laws15 questionsPrecision Agriculture & System Management19 questionsAgricultural Drones, Robotics & Automation12 questions

Five practice questions, worked

Original questions written to this exam's published syllabus and pattern. Not past papers.

1. In the Challenger shuttle disaster of 1986, what is the central lesson about engineering judgement that ethics courses draw from the launch decision?

  1. The engineers had failed to identify the O-ring problem before the night of the launch
  2. The burden of proof was reversed: engineers were asked to prove the launch was unsafe
  3. The managers lacked any technical training and could not understand the data presented
  4. The disaster was caused by a calculation error in the design of the external fuel tank
Answer and working

B. The burden of proof was reversed: engineers were asked to prove the launch was unsafe

The booster contractor's engineers had identified the risk of O-ring failure at low temperature and recommended against launch. Under schedule pressure the decision was reversed because the data did not conclusively prove failure. The lesson is that for safety-critical decisions the burden should be on showing safety, and engineers' warnings must reach and change decisions.

Professional Practice, Ethics & Laws · Codes of ethics for engineers

2. A farmer uses SBAS corrections for planting and finds that rows planted last season do not line up with this season's guidance lines. The most likely reason is

  1. SBAS gives acceptable pass-to-pass accuracy but drifts over time, so its year-to-year repeatability is poor
  2. SBAS signals are switched off outside the harvest season, so the receiver reverted to a different datum
  3. SBAS corrections are only valid for spraying, and the planter's own sensors reject them after one season
  4. SBAS always gives centimetre accuracy, so the planter's row units must have worn and shifted sideways instead
Answer and working

A. SBAS gives acceptable pass-to-pass accuracy but drifts over time, so its year-to-year repeatability is poor

SBAS is good for adjacent passes made within minutes but its position wanders over hours and days, so lines cannot be repeated between seasons. Repeatable lines need RTK from a surveyed base. SBAS is not seasonal and is not centimetre-accurate.

Precision Agriculture & System Management · GNSS and RTK positioning

3. An agronomist wants better coverage for a contact fungicide and asks the drone operator for a much finer spray. The field borders a sensitive vegetable crop downwind. What is the best engineering response?

  1. Fly at twice the normal height so the finer droplets spread evenly and land on the fungicide target more slowly
  2. Keep the droplet category the label requires, raise volume within the label to improve coverage, and keep a downwind buffer
  3. Switch to the finest droplet setting, because the vegetable crop is downwind and drift will move away from the target
  4. Spray only when the wind blows towards the vegetables, since that wind direction makes the fine droplets fall faster onto the target crop
Answer and working

B. Keep the droplet category the label requires, raise volume within the label to improve coverage, and keep a downwind buffer

Coverage can be improved by more volume rather than finer droplets, without raising drift risk; the label's droplet and buffer requirements still apply. Finer droplets and greater height both increase drift onto the downwind crop, and wind direction does not change settling speed.

Agricultural Drones, Robotics & Automation · Droplet drift from drones

4. What is the main difference between a practice-licensing system and a title-protection system for engineers?

  1. Licensing reserves certain work to licensees; title protection reserves only the title
  2. Licensing reserves only the title; title protection reserves all engineering work
  3. Licensing applies only to civil engineers; title protection to all other branches
  4. There is no difference, since both forbid unregistered people from doing design
Answer and working

A. Licensing reserves certain work to licensees; title protection reserves only the title

Under practice licensing, as in the US, Canada and the Philippines, specified work may be done only by licensees. Under title protection, as with Chartered Engineer in the UK, anyone may practise but only qualified people may use the title.

Professional Practice, Ethics & Laws · Registration routes in other countries

5. What advantage does pulse-width modulation (PWM) of nozzle solenoids have over pressure-based rate control?

  1. Flow varies with the square of the duty cycle, giving a wider range at higher pressure
  2. The nozzle orifice is widened electrically, so no solenoid valve is needed at all
  3. Pressure is doubled for every step in duty cycle, giving finer control at low rates
  4. Flow is varied at nearly constant pressure, so droplet size stays within the nozzle's range
Answer and working

D. Flow is varied at nearly constant pressure, so droplet size stays within the nozzle's range

PWM varies the fraction of time each nozzle is open while pressure stays nearly constant, so droplet size and pattern are preserved over a wide turndown. Flow is roughly proportional to duty cycle, not its square; PWM uses solenoids and does not change pressure.

Precision Agriculture & System Management · Variable-rate technology

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