ITPEC FE Subject A April 2024 Question 11
Which of the following is the design for securing safety and reliability known as “foolproof”?
Explanation
Incorrect operation by the user causes no problem — foolproof design guards against human error, not against device failure.
A foolproof design makes wrong operation impossible or harmless: a connector that fits only one way, a microwave oven that will not run with the door open, a confirmation step before data is deleted.
Answer (b)
Why not others:
- •(a) — redundancy such as duplication, so that a device failure does not affect the system, is fault tolerance
- •(c) — stopping safely when a device fails, to minimise damage, is fail-safe
- •(d) — continuing to run with restricted functions after a failure is fail-soft (graceful degradation)
Key rule: Foolproof addresses human mistakes; fault tolerance, fail-safe and fail-soft respond to equipment failure with full service, a safe stop, or reduced service.
System Component · AI-written, may contain errors
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