test your Mechanical Aptitude

[Ferret]

490/98%

Slipped on question 45, balloons - speed reading and missed there was the same amount of gas inside each balloon!

[mikell]

90% - and I knew I screwed up one answer as soon as I clicked "next" and couldn't figure out how to go back and correct it. And, I also disagreed on one definition - what's the diff between suction and atmospheric pressure? Same diff, as far as I can see - no atmospheric, no suction, since suction is the result of a pressure differential.
Great post, though - I'm sending it to some friends.

[Ferret]

90% - and I knew I screwed up one answer as soon as I clicked "next" and couldn't figure out how to go back and correct it. And, I also disagreed on one definition - what's the diff between suction and atmospheric pressure? Same diff, as far as I can see - no atmospheric, no suction, since suction is the result of a pressure differential.
Great post, though - I'm sending it to some friends.

Yeah I thought that suction question was a bit crafty, was going to answer 'suction' but then remembered a quote from my old physics teacher 'there's no such thing as suction, only pressure differentials!'

[icesoft]

470/94%

Missed the one on the fans - depends on what is meant by "same direction" The blades will spin the same direction, but the un-powered fan will be spinning in the opposite direction of the powered fan.

Brakes (misinterpreted the cause/effect relationship and selected deceleration instead of friction)

Suction/Atmospheric - trick question

[genphreak]

ROFL... just got 82%. I knew I got the mechanical motion principle one wrong the moment I hit next chose deceleration instead of friction... knew the moment I did it. Got all the fluids and electronics ones right. I don't know how I managed to think that suction from the movement of the piston caused fuel-air mixture to enter a cylinder... damned trick questions everywhere!!!

The rest of my errors were simply not paying attention to diagrams enough (watch the worm!)... excepting my really poor working knowledge of pulleys (combined with an appaling lack of understanding of anything mechanical)...

Awesome test though- a really decent and practical use of PHP! The best online test (technically) I've seen... except one could probably hack it...

Great find Winfred!

[Dave M]

Yeah I thought that suction question was a bit crafty, was going to answer 'suction' but then remembered a quote from my old physics teacher 'there's no such thing as suction, only pressure differentials!'

Yep, same here. Wasn't it phrased "vacuum". Is that not valid ? Anyhow, sounds as though we've messed up a variety of categories (except ferret who only needs to slow down).

Where did evryone learn electronics / wiring. I got evey one RONG. Fine with the pulleys though.

82% for the pass. See you guys at the bar

Dave

[Paul in NZ]

78 i wasnt really paying enough attention i think i got the electronic one right,i know from you guys i got suction and decell wrong on the brakes.I might try again when the rugby is finished

[LunatiC]

78 here. Not bad for someone who failed physicals and of self-confessed non-mechanical mind. I kicked ass in the electricals though

A few of the questions were really common sense. Eg. the cans question. I was surprised that i got the multi-pulley question correct (q14).

I'm talking to rob101 at the moment in MSN as he's doing the test, should be interesting to see how he goes

[Paul in NZ]

i had another go and paid a bit more attention this time,the weight and pulleys got me,and i only got about half of the opposte rotating pulleys..i didnt review at the end of the first one,but you guys helped me with a couple!
86

[RichG]

I got a 94%. I guess the engineering degree fits.

I would like to point out that on some of the pulley questions, they are saying a kilogram is a force. A kg is not a force, but a unit of mass. The force should be in newtons.

yeah, yeah...picky I know.

And I don't think there's much difference in saying suction from the piston going down or atmospheric pressure pushing it in unless they're referring back to the "naturally aspirated engine" where there would still be a reduction in pressure due to the piston going down, but there might be more than atmospheric pressure pushing it in.