Practice Test 2 – Mechanical Concepts

Two identical boxes are on inclines supported by identical springs. Which spring (A or B) will be more compressed?

Two identical weights are held by a rope over a pulley. On one side of the rope, a second pulley is introduced. When the weights are released, will the left weight go up or down?

The first of three touching rollers is rotating clockwise. What direction is the final roller spinning?

A light car and a heavy truck drive towards each other with the same velocity. When they crash, will they travel towards the left (A), the right (B), or will they not move at all (C).

Two identical funnels are placed in front of a fan. Which funnel will provide the greatest air speed at its exit?

Two identical bricks are pushed over ice and dirt. Will the brick on ice require more force to push (A), less force to push (B), or the same force to push (C)?

A plunger is pressed down a closed tube. Will the pressure inside increase (A), decrease (B), or stay the same (C)?

In this gear train, which gear is rotating with the highest number of revolutions per minute?

Which part of this box should be pushed to tip the box with the least amount of force?

A boy throws a javelin off a cliff. In which part of the flight will the javelin have the greatest speed?

A 10 lb weight is placed on one side of a see-saw. A 5 lb weight is placed on the other side. Where does the center of the see-saw likely need to be located to balance the see-saw?

If the switch in this circuit is switched off, which light will turn off?

Most of the weight of a desk is in its drawers. If a strong man and a weak man want to lift the desk, which side should the strong man lift?

A motorcycle can drive its wheels at a maximum rotational speed. To go faster, should the driver replace the wheels with larger wheels or smaller wheels?

Is a boat more likely to float in a fresh-water river or a swamp?

Which opening in the dam will have the greatest water pressure?

Two wells are in the same environment. One has a wider opening than the other. If the air suddenly becomes very hot, which well will warm up more quickly?

The amount of water is measured by a water height gauge on one side of a water tank. If the tank is installed on the shown slope what point will the gauge read?

Two trucks are carrying the same weights. Which truck is more likely to tip during a turn?

Which design of tea pot will hold the least amount of water?

Two identical balls are pushed horizontally into identical springs. After the balls are released, which ball will go farther before stopping?

Two flies are on a turntable. If the air around the turntable is still, which fly will feel the greatest breeze?

Two bathtubs are completely full of water. Two solid rocks are placed in the bathtubs. Which bathtub will spill more water?

A ball bounces off a hard, smooth wall. Where will the ball tend to go?

A spring is pointed up a rough hill. A ball is pushed into the spring. After the ball is released, it travels to point B. After the ball returns to the spring and bounces back up the hill, which point is it likely to reach?

A sack of concrete is on a board. To tilt the board with the least amount of force, where should the man lift the board?

A bowling ball and a tennis ball are dropped from the same height onto identical springs. Which spring will compress more?

Two identical motors pull ropes with the same constant speed off spools. Which spool will have the greater rotational speed?

A pipe is cut in two to install a viewing port to see the water. Where will the water travel slowest?

A heavy sack of sand falls off a building at the same time that a water bottle falls off the same building. Will the sack of sand land before (A), after (B), or the same time (C) as the water bottle?

A child is swinging on the outside of a merry-go-round. If the child lets go of the merry-go-round, before he touches the ground, what direction will he tend to go?

A measuring wheel measures distance by rolling a wheel on the ground and counting the number of rotations of that wheel. If someone replaces the wheel with a larger wheel, will the measuring device measure distances to be longer (A), shorter (B), or the same distance (C) as they actually are?

A cup of coffee is set in a cup holder in a car. If the car curves left around a corner too quickly, which direction will the coffee spill?

Two cars go around a looping track once. Both cars travel with the same linear speed. Which car will finish first?

Which ramp will make it easiest to roll the cart up into the truck?

A drifting sailboat collides with a drifting small dinghy. Which direction will the sailboat tend to go?

A pair of identical gears is run by one large central gear. Which gear spins faster?

A large man and a small man are trying to use the see-saw. Where should the large man sit to balance the see-saw?

Two fans spin at the same rotational speed. One fan has longer blades. Which fan will move more air?

An above ground swimming pool has a patch on one side near the base. Which height of water is most likely to break the patch?

Two identical springs are pointed up a hill. Identical balls are pushed into the springs to different locations. Which ball will go higher up the hill before returning?

A man stands near the edge of a wooden bridge over a stream. Which set of bridge supports holds the most amount of weight?

Two weights, one forty lb weight and one eighty lbs weight, are dropped from a height of four feet over the ground. Which weight will hit the ground first or will they hit the ground simultaneously?

A fly is holding onto a Frisbee which is spinning through the air. Will the fly be able to hold on easier at the edge or in the center of the Frisbee?