"NY" wrote in message
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"Nick" wrote in message
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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.

The test is sposed to pick those with mechanical ability,
not which have had training/education in that area.

I always found with my dad that I could just look at stuff
and decide that it was going to work and not fail and
that he couldnt. Nothing to do with training/education.

I also manage to reassemble a push bike epicyclic gearbox
after one of my neighbours kids showed up with a box full
of parts after he had pulled it to bits and couldnt work out
how to get it back together again. I only had a rough idea
about how they worked and did that using the wear marks.