AMIE Section A Examination flashcards
AMIE Section A Examination · Build recall with a focused review session.
33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- SI unit of force
- The newton (N), defined as the force accelerating a one-kilogram mass at one metre per second squared, so 1 N = 1 kg·m/s².
- Pascal definition
- The pascal (Pa) is the SI unit of pressure equal to one newton per square metre, so 1 Pa = 1 N/m².
- Ohm's law
- Current through a linear conductor equals voltage divided by resistance, written V = IR; it holds only for ohmic components at constant temperature.
- Parallel resistance rule
- For resistors in parallel the reciprocal of total resistance equals the sum of reciprocals of individual resistances; total resistance is always less than the smallest branch.
- Mechanical advantage
- The ratio of load overcome to effort applied by a machine; for an ideal frictionless lever it equals the effort arm length divided by the load arm length.
- Young's modulus
- The ratio of tensile stress to tensile strain within the linear elastic region of a material, expressed in pascals and measuring stiffness.
- Archimedes' principle
- A body immersed in fluid experiences an upward buoyant force equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces, determining whether it floats or sinks.
- Sensible heat formula
- Heat needed to change a substance's temperature without phase change equals mass times specific heat capacity times temperature change, Q = mcΔT.
- Kelvin conversion
- Absolute temperature in kelvin equals Celsius temperature plus 273.15; kelvin values must be used in gas-law and Carnot efficiency calculations.
- Prefix micro
- The SI prefix micro represents one millionth, or 10⁻⁶; for example one microampere equals 0.000001 ampere.
- Density formula
- Density equals mass divided by volume (ρ = m/V) and is expressed in kilograms per cubic metre in SI units.
- Efficiency of a machine
- The ratio of useful output work to total input work, usually expressed as a percentage; friction always makes it less than 100 percent.
- Hydrostatic pressure
- Pressure at depth h in a fluid at rest equals ρgh, where ρ is fluid density and g is gravitational acceleration; it acts equally in all directions.
- Conflict of interest rule
- An engineer must disclose any financial or personal interest that could bias professional judgement and withdraw from decisions where impartiality is compromised.
- Professional competence limit
- An engineer should accept only work within their demonstrated competence, or obtain supervision, because public safety depends on qualified judgement.
- Factor of safety
- The ratio of a material's strength to the working stress applied; a value above the code-specified minimum indicates an acceptable design margin.
- Bending stress formula
- Bending stress equals My/I, where M is bending moment, y is distance from the neutral axis, and I is the second moment of area.
- Neutral axis
- The line through a beam cross-section where bending stress is zero; it passes through the centroid for symmetric sections under pure bending.
- Truss determinacy rule
- A plane truss is statically determinate when the number of members m equals 2j − 3, where j is the number of joints.
- Method of joints
- A truss analysis technique applying force equilibrium ΣFx = 0 and ΣFy = 0 at each joint in sequence, starting where at most two members are unknown.
- First law of thermodynamics
- For a closed system, heat added minus work done by the system equals the change in internal energy: Q − W = ΔU.
- Steady flow energy equation
- For an open system at steady state, heat minus work equals change in enthalpy plus changes in kinetic and potential energy.
- Carnot efficiency limit
- The maximum possible efficiency of any heat engine operating between two reservoirs equals 1 − T_cold/T_hot, with both temperatures in kelvin.
- Thermal efficiency
- The ratio of net work output to heat input for a heat engine, equivalently 1 − Q_out/Q_in; it cannot exceed the Carnot limit.
- Three-phase power formula
- Total real power in a balanced three-phase system equals √3 times line voltage times line current times power factor.
- Yield point
- The stress at which a material begins to deform permanently; beyond it, strain is no longer recoverable on unloading.
- Ultimate tensile strength
- The maximum stress a material sustains before necking and fracture, found from the peak of the engineering stress–strain curve.
- Proportional limit
- The stress up to which stress remains exactly proportional to strain; above it the stress–strain curve departs from a straight line.
- Instrument resolution
- The smallest change an instrument can display; single-reading uncertainty is commonly taken as half the smallest scale division.
- Strength-to-density ratio
- Material strength divided by density; maximised when weight is the limiting constraint in a design.
- Stiffness-to-density ratio
- Elastic modulus divided by density; the governing index when deflection, rather than failure, limits a lightweight design.
- Shear force
- The internal force acting parallel to a beam cross-section at a given point; its diagram changes slope where concentrated loads are applied.
- Bending moment
- The internal couple resisting rotation at a beam section; it reaches maximum where shear force is zero.