TECH 511
The Development of Graphics in Technology

Midterm Examination Study Guide

This is not intended to be a comprehensive list of topics for the midterm exam. Anything presented in the instructor presentations, class discussions, or the reading assignments is a potential source for a test question.

  1. Definitions of introductory terms and their relationships
  2. How are these terms related to computer graphics
  3. Engineering drawing and its role as a language
  4. Shadows. projections, and the ancient Greeks
  5. The various means of projection and their utility
  6. Why did the ancient Greeks not discover perspective?
  7. The role of conventions and standard practices and their relationship to perspective, isometric, descriptive geometry, and orthographic drawing
  8. The contributions of Gaspard Monge and how that influenced future efforts
  9. The people, techniques, processes, and tools from the History of Computer Graphics video - be able to describe one scenario really well
  10. Gardner's notion of multiple intelligences,and how it differs from traditional ideas (from what areas does Gardner draw information to make his case, particularly his eight criteria)
  11. What is an intelligence, domain, and field?
  12. Why is visual intelligence important? How is it used by groups such as artists and engineers?
  13. Summarize Kindler's arguments and how they relate to computer graphics today
  14. What were Plimmer's and Apperley's contentions regarding sketches
  15. How does Mcfadzean et al. suggest that sketching is related to cognitive activity?
  16. Describe the various "learning difficulties" that West discusses and how they are related to visual processes and creativity
  17. How are all of the people that West profiles related? What are their strengths and weaknesses?
  18. What is the role of nonverbal thought in technology?
  19. According to West, how will mathematics, images, and computers be related? How will education be different?
  20. How are creativity and visual thinking related?