Physics of Engine Repair

Via Physics Buzz, a Mechanical Aptitude Test for diesel technicians. It’s fifty basic physics questions, covering a wide range of material from introductory physics: basic concepts of force and torque, a little bit of electrical circuits, and even some thermodynamics.

I got 45/50, which is a passing score. I suspect that I bombed the handful of questions involving specific engine terminology, because I know as much about cars as I do about 11-dimensional superstring theory.

Somebody needs to sit down with the authors and explain how units work– forces are not measured in kilograms– but there’s some good stuff there. I may make my students take it the next time I teach intro mechanics…