Physics for Aviation

Study Materials

AMT-G, FAA-H-8083-30, AC 43.13-1

Typical Oral Questions

  1. What is meant by matter?

    Anything that occupies space and has weight.

  2. What are the three basic physical states in which matter can exist?

    Solid, liquid and gas.

  3. What is meant by pressure?

    Force that acts on a unit of area.

  4. What is the standard sea level atmospheric pressure expressed in inches of mercury, and in pounds per square inches?

    29.92 inches of mercury and 14.69 pounds per square inch.

  5. What characteristic of the atmosphere determines the speed of sound?

    Its temperature.

  6. What is meant by the density of air?

    The weight of a given volume of air.

  7. How much force is produced by 1,000 psi of hydraulic pressure acting on a piston whose area is 20 square inches?

    20,000 pounds.

  8. What is meant by the fulcrum of a lever?

    The point about which the lever rotates.

  9. Give an example of a first-class lever, a second-class lever and a third-class lever.

    First-class: A screwdriver being used to pry the lid from a can of paint

    Second-class: A wheelbarrow

    Third-class: A hydraulically retracted landing gear

  10. How many cubic inches of fluid is forced out of a cylinder by a piston whose area is 20 square inches when the piston moves five inches?

    100 cubic inches.

  11. What is meant by a temperature of absolute zero?

    The temperature at which all molecular movement stops.

  12. What is the Celsius equivalent of a temperature of 50°F?

    10°C.

  13. What formula is used to find the amount of work done when an object is moved across a floor?

    Work = Force × Distance.

  14. What determines the mechanical advantage of an arrangement of ropes and pulleys?

    The number of ropes that support the weight.

  15. What determines the mechanical advantage of a gear train?

    The ratio between the number of teeth on the drive gear and the number of teeth on the driven gear.

  16. What will happen to the pressure of a confined gas if the temperature of the gas is increased?

    The pressure will increase.

  17. What are three methods of heat transfer?

    Conduction, convection and radiation.

  18. What is meant by the absolute humidity of the atmosphere?

    The actual amount of water that is in a given volume of air.

Typical Practical Projects

  1. Identify from a drawing of a lever furnished by the examiner, the class of lever and its mechanical advantage.
  2. Using a dimensioned diagram of a hydraulic cylinder furnished by the examiner, find the amount of force exerted by a specified amount of hydraulic pressure.
  3. Find the amount of force needed to roll a barrel of oil up an inclined plane when the length of the plane, the weight of the barrel, and the height the barrel is raised are all known.
  4. Using a diagram of a gear train furnished by the examiner, find the speed and direction of rotation of the output shaft when the speed and direction of the input shaft are known.
  5. Convert a list of Celsius temperatures into Fahrenheit temperatures.
  6. Convert a list of Fahrenheit temperatures into Celsius temperatures.
  7. Using a battery hydrometer, measure the specific gravity of the electrolyte in a lead-acid battery.
  8. Give examples of heat transfer by conduction, convection and radiation.

[10-2024]