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Sample Practice Test Questions
What type of load creates different stresses at different locations on a structure?
non-uniformly distributed load
A concentrated load acts on a relatively small area of a structure, a static uniformly distributed load doesn't create specific stress points or vary with time, a dynamic load varies with time or affects a structure that experiences a high degree of movement, an impact load is sudden and for a relatively short duration and a non-uniformly distributed load creates different stresses at different locations on a structure.
A dominant trait will be expressed when paired with:
a recessive trait
The traits represented by genes are inherited independently of each other (one from the male and one from the female gamete) and a trait can be dominant or recessive. A dominant trait will be expressed when paired with a recessive trait while two copies of a recessive trait (one from each parent) must be present for the recessive trait to be expressed.
Which of the following is not a function of a car battery?
acts as a supplemental source of energy to moderate engine performance
The lead-acid battery is the core of the electrical system, providing current to the ignition system to start the engine as well as delivering supplemental current when the alternator can't handle high electrical system loads and acting as an electrical reservoir for excessive current.
What is a caliper used for?
transferring distances between objects
Calipers are similar to micrometers in shape but instead of measuring distances, calipers are used to transfer distances between objects. An outside caliper is used to transfer outside dimensions while an inside caliper is used to transfer inside distances. A vernier caliper is an extremely precise caliper (down to \({1 \over 1000}\) inch) that allows measuring / transferring either inside or outside dimensions.
Which of the following is not true of light waves?
are mechanical waves
Unlike mechanical sound waves that require a physical medium for propagation, light waves are electromagnetic and can travel through empty space. Light waves are also much faster, travelling at 186,000 m/s vs. 343 m/s for sound waves.
A major difference between sound waves and light waves is which of the following?
all of these are correct
A vibrating object produces a sound wave that travels outwardly from the object through a medium (any liquid or solid matter). The vibration disturbs the particles in the surrounding medium, those particles disturb the particules next to them, and so on, as the sound propagates away from the vibration.
If all of a roofing company's 6 workers are required to staff 3 roofing crews, how many workers need to be added during the busy season in order to send 7 complete crews out on jobs?
In order to find how many additional workers are needed to staff the extra crews you first need to calculate how many workers are on a crew. There are 6 workers at the company now and that's enough to staff 3 crews so there are \( \frac{6}{3} \) = 2 workers on a crew. 7 crews are needed for the busy season which, at 2 workers per crew, means that the roofing company will need 7 x 2 = 14 total workers to staff the crews during the busy season. The company already employs 6 workers so they need to add 14 - 6 = 8 new staff for the busy season.
If the green box is 8 ft. from the fulcrum and a certain force applied 7 ft. from the fulcrum at the blue arrow balances the lever, what is the mechanical advantage?
Because this lever is in equilibrium, we know that the effort force at the blue arrow is equal to the resistance weight of the green box. For a lever that's in equilibrium, one method of calculating mechanical advantage (MA) is to divide the length of the effort arm (Ea) by the length of the resistance arm (Ra):
MA = \( \frac{E_a}{R_a} \) = \( \frac{7 ft.}{8 ft.} \) = 0.88
When a lever is in equilibrium, the torque from the effort and the resistance are equal. The equation for equilibrium is Rada = Rbdb where a and b are the two points at which effort/resistance is being applied to the lever.
In this problem, Ra and Rb are such that the lever is in equilibrium meaning that some multiple of the weight of the green box is being applied at the blue arrow. For a lever, this multiple is a function of the ratio of the distances of the box and the arrow from the fulcrum. That's why, for a lever in equilibrium, only the distances from the fulcrum are necessary to calculate mechanical advantage.
If the lever were not in equilibrium, you would first have to calculate the forces and distances necessary to put it in equilibrium and then divide Ea by Ra to get the mechanical advantage.