Design and Technology A-Level
Performance Characteristics
What Performance Characteristics means in Design and Technology A-Level, as defined for Pearson Edexcel.
Definitions of Performance Characteristics
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
The specific physical and mechanical properties of a material that determine its behaviour under various conditions and its suitability for specific applications.
The specific physical, mechanical, and chemical properties of a material that determine how it behaves under different conditions.
The physical, mechanical, and working properties of a material that determine how it will behave under different conditions.
Topics that use Performance Characteristics
- Part 2: Designing a prototype (Pearson Edexcel A-Level)
- Topic 10: Current legislation (Pearson Edexcel A-Level)
- Topic 12: Further processes and techniques (Pearson Edexcel A-Level)
Related terms
- Thermoplastic
- Ferrous Metal
- Smart Material
- Tensile Strength
- Thermosetting Polymer
- Alloy
- Composite
- Composite Material
Using Performance Characteristics in the exam
Definition questions usually carry one or two marks, and examiners look for the precise wording. Write the definition from memory, check it against the version above, and then use the term in a longer answer on the same topic so it sticks.
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