On Fri, 26 May 2017 08:55:15 +0100, Robin wrote:

On 25/05/2017 23:52, John Rumm wrote:
On 25/05/2017 21:34, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 25/05/17 21:27, Bill Wright wrote:
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...2bnN1c0U/view?
usp=sharing



Is the gate question a trick? H has the brace the wrong way round.

No trick. The brace works in both compression and tension and adds the
additional stiffness against sag all the other examples were all
completely lacking.


Bill
tends to work either way.

There were more than one question however where there seemed to be
insufficient information.

The car skid for example.

Oh yes indeedy! That one needed a ton of (unwarranted in real life)
assumptions to be made just to drill down to the core of the question (an
issue of which vehicle was being subjected to the highest sideways forces
on that part of the corner).


Also the capstan.

The capstan one was a straight forward "Lever Question". Nothing
complicated or tricky about it at all.

Again, far too many unknowns to decide whether R would land up working
the hardest due to an extremely light load which would make S the more
energy efficient option or whether, as was implied, that R would have to
work the hardest by virtue of greater effort to move a heavier load.

To attempt to answer on the basis of effective energy input by one
person alone at each indicated position in turn requires addressing the
issue of 'matching impedances' between the generator and the load. Whilst
it's true that the energy input by R trotting around the capstan at half
the effort is the same as T walking at half the speed but full effort,
the energy expended by R and T is unlikely to be the same.

If this question is merely a trick question where the correct answer is
deemed to be "All equal", then it falls far short of the quality of
'trick question' demonstrated by the Butcher's hook question.


The butchers hook one as well... depending what you want to achieve -
least load on the supports, then in the middle. Least bending of the
rail, then right at the end.

Least distance to carry the bloody thing

Is the *right* answer! :-) (a cleverly disguised question of ergonomics
and perhaps a reminder that the human skeleton and musculature is
constrained by the same laws of 'mechanics' as apply to 'engineered'
mechanical systems.

--
Johnny B Good