Unit 4 lesson 1 what is automation?

1. Automation may be said to be a modern term signifying the use of machines to do work that formely had to be done by people. What used to be called automation.

2. The machine that automatically makes, inspects and packs 1.200 cigarettes a minute can do nothing else. It is a one-purpose machine as there are many of others.

3. But the digital computer seems to be versatile and can be used as the brains for automating a wide variety of work where figuring, remembering and making logical choices are required. The computer proves to be only a very high speed adding and subtracting machine. It is unlikely to be the thinking machine as it is sometimes called. Everything it does other than adding and subtracting is the result of man’s ingenuity.

4. The design of newer equipment with greater usefulness and capabilities is said to be bringing about an ever increasing growth in the development of control equipment. The reason is twofold. Firstly automatic controls relieve man of many monotonous activities so that he can devote his abilities to other occupation. Secondly modern complex controls can perform functions which are beyond the physical abilities of man. Foe example, an elaborated automatic control system operates the engine of a modern jet airplane with only a minimum amount of the pilot’s attention, so that he is free to fly his airplane.

5. Mention should be made that the design and development of automatic control systems is a principal concern of an engineer. In recent years we know automatic control systems to have been rapidly advancing in importance in all fields of engineering. The applications of control system are known to cover a very wide scope, ranging from the design of precision control devices such as sensitive instrument to the design of the equipment used for controlling the manufacture of steel or other industrial processes. New applications for arranging automatic controls are continually being discovered.

Exercise 1. Find the terms in the text, which define the following:

a). the use of machines to do the work that formely had to be done by people;

b). the machine that can be used as the brains for automating work, ,, thinking machine’’;

c). precision control device;

d). mathematical operations.

Exercise 2. Say if the statements are true or false:

1. Machine that makes only one type of operations is called versatile.

2. The computer is not the thinking machine.

3. The design and development of automatic control systems is a principal concern of the scientists

4. The applications of control system cover a wide scope.

5. New application for arranging automatic controls are being studied.

Exercise 3. Complete the sentences choosing the right variant:

1. The digital computer can be used for…

a). remembering and figuring;

b). adding and subtracting;

c). selecting and reasoning.

2. Everything the computer does is the result of…

a). man’s intelligence;

b). man’s mental abilities;

c). man’s ingenuity.

3. Automatic controls relieve man from…

a). monotonous activities;

b). dangerous activities;

c). useless activities.

4. The application of control system range from the design of precision control devices to…

a). the design of control manufacture equipment

b). electronic equipment

c). sensitive instruments.

5. New applications for arranging automatic controls…

a). are being developed

b). are being discovered

c). are being studied.

Exercise 4. Answer the questions:

1. What is automation?

2. What problems do the automatic controls solve? (What are the functions of automatic controls?)

3. What are the applications of control systems?

Exercise 5. Define the term „automation”.

Exercise 6. Explain why the digital computer seems to be versatile.

Exercise 7. Describe the functions of automatic controls.

Exercise 8. Discuss the text according to the points:

1. New applications for arranging automatic controls are being discovered.

2. Design and development of automatic control systems is a principal concern of an engineer.

Notes:

1. what used to be called - те, що звикли називати;

2. other than – крім;

3. twofold – двояка;

4. arrange – упорядковувати;

5. beyond - за межами;

6. bring about – призводити;

7. concern – турбота;

8. elaborated - старанно зроблений;

9. figuring – зображення;

10. ingenuity – винахідливість.