Free PE: Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam Questions and Answers

A simply supported beam spans 6 m and carries a uniform load of 10 kN/m. What is the maximum bending moment?

• AA. 90 kN-m
• BB. 45 kN-m
• CC. 60 kN-m
• DD. 30 kN-m

Using the rational method, C = 0.5, rainfall intensity 100 mm/h, drainage area 10 ha. What is the peak discharge (Q = CiA/360 in m^3/s)?

• AA. 5.0 m^3/s
• BB. 0.139 m^3/s
• CC. 1.39 m^3/s
• DD. 13.9 m^3/s

A 5 m deep saturated clay layer (unit weight 19 kN/m^3) lies below a water table at the ground surface. What is the effective vertical stress at its base (use 9.81 kN/m^3 for water)?

• AA. 49 kPa
• BB. 46 kPa
• CC. 95 kPa
• DD. 24 kPa

For Euler buckling, what is the theoretical effective length factor K of a column fixed at the base and free at the top?

• AA. 0.7
• BB. 1.0
• CC. 0.5
• DD. 2.0

In a CPM network, which path determines the minimum project duration?

• AA. The path with the most activities
• BB. The shortest path
• CC. The longest path through the network (critical path)
• DD. The path with the cheapest activities

2 kg of air (R = 0.287 kJ/kg-K) is in a 0.5 m^3 tank at 300 K. What is the pressure?

• AA. 344 kPa
• BB. 1722 kPa
• CC. 861 kPa
• DD. 172 kPa

What is the Carnot efficiency of an engine operating between 600 K and 300 K reservoirs?

• AA. 67%
• BB. 100%
• CC. 50%
• DD. 25%

A pump delivers 0.02 m^3/s of water against a 30 m total head at 80% efficiency. What shaft power is required?

• AA. 5.89 kW
• BB. 9.20 kW
• CC. 4.71 kW
• DD. 7.36 kW

A shaft transmits 10 kW at 1000 rpm. What is the torque?

• AA. 955 N-m
• BB. 60 N-m
• CC. 95.5 N-m
• DD. 9.55 N-m

Resistors of 10, 20 and 20 ohms are connected in parallel across 12 V. What is the total current?

• AA. 4.8 A
• BB. 0.6 A
• CC. 1.2 A
• DD. 2.4 A