"Nick" wrote in message
news
On 25/05/2017 19:16, misterroy wrote:
found this test lurking in the filing cabinet at work, some of the
questions might need a bit more context.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_U...ew?usp=sharing

As others have said the test is poorly constructed. A few questions one
has to guess what is wanted.

However is is interesting as it is a very practical test of engineering
mechanics. Practical experience really helps.

When helping my son with mathematical mechanics problems I was surprised
how little practical experience/intuition he had. He had to learn
everything as theory, book learning. For today's computer generation of
children a little more practical teaching in school would be a good thing
but perhaps it is too expensive

A bit of experience with Meccano would help a great deal, to understand the
importance of diagonal cross-bracing of a rectangular shape (eg the gate in
one of the questions) or to understand meshing of a train of gears. Sadly
modern children don't seem to "play" with Meccano any more. I use the word
"play" in its widest sense to mean build things and work out by trial and
error what is good and what is bad and how to improve what is bad.

The questions that I need to think about are the tension/compression forces
in various struts on lattice structures, and which will be largest/smallest.
I did a bit of mech eng on my elec eng course, but I don't know as much or
know the rigorous analysis techniques that a civil eng would know.