By the Numbers

Staff -- Control Engineering, 7/1/2006

2 main plastic categories are thermosets (the polymer sets irreversibly when heated) and thermoplastics (can be heated, melted, and reshaped countless times), as explained at Fantastic Plastics Works, a companion site to The Society of Plastics Industry's Epcot showcase at Walt Disney World, Florida. SPI Fantastic Plastics Works was among student-friendly exhibits at NPE 2006 in Chicago in June. www.plasticsworks.org, www.npe.org

10^th anniversary of National Transportation Communications for Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Protocol (NTCIP) is 2006. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), and National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) have been developing NTCIP to provide an 'open, vendor-neutral, and consensus-based family of standards,' NEMA says. www.aashto.org, www.ite.org, www.nema.org

1 secret: 'If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person's point of view and see things from that person's angle as well as from your own,' said Henry Ford, as cited in a May 23 email newsletter from www.samgeist.com

12 workplace pointers remind how to avoid injury from electrical shock, in the 'Test Before You Touch' brochure from Electrical Safety Foundation International. Advice includes testing your test equipment before and after using it. www.electrical-safety.org

5 responses are common when asking people to think about something they haven't considered previously: they discount it; reject it; argue with it; ignore it; or make it wrong, according to Scott Hunter, a personal, business, and executive coach and consultant. Holding beliefs as truths can close communications and lead to missed opportunities, he suggests. www.scotthunter.com

10 top 20th century construction projects include several heavy on automation. The 10 are named on a joint-effort Website of the Associated Equipment Distributors Foundation (AEDF), Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), and Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). www.constructmyfuture.com

100 'Back to Basics' tutorials are available under the Research pull-down menu under Tutorials at www.controleng.com

250 is nearly the number of teachers who have graduated from the Honeywell Educators at Space Academy program since inception in 2004. The company's science and math education programs have reached nearly 100,000 students and teachers in 26 countries and 41 U.S. states. Go to 'Our Programs' at www.honeywell.com

500-kHz sine wave measures the difference in capacitance between wood and a human finger that allows the SawStop power saw mechanical braking system to halt and retract the blade in less than 5 milliseconds, which can mean the difference between a bandage and a hand surgeon, according to Pete Zogas, a senior VP at National Instruments. www.ni.com, www.sawstop.com, www.ti.com

320 million tons of oil consumed by China in 2005 accounts for 8% of the global total. U.S. consumed 938 million tons, 25% of the aggregate global total. www.naviasia.com