Academic Technical Bowl Study Guide

The following is to be used with the NCEES Reference Manual that can be downloaded from http://www.ncees.org/publications/graphics/pdfs/FE_REFERENCE_HANDBOOK.pdfunder the Study Materials link. Students can also obtain these books on campus. This handbook is what is used during the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination, which is the first step to Engineering Licensure. It is the National Programs Zone’s hope that this will help students not only better prepare for the Tech Bowl competition but will also improve scores on the FE Examination.

The following list of categories will be used during the Tech Bowl competition. They also correspond to sections in the handbook. Please note that only the topics listed here will be included; hence anything else in the handbook can be disregarded (such as the Chemical Engineering section). Some categories will appear more than others (for instance, Mathematics or Chemistry will appear much more often than Engineering Economics).

• UNITS/CONVERSIONS
• MATHEMATICS
• STATICS
• DYNAMICS
• MECHANICS OF MATERIALS
• FLUID MECHANICS
• THERMODYNAMICS
• HEAT TRANSFER
• TRANSPORT PHENOMENA
• CHEMISTRY
• MATERIALS SCIENCE
• ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS
• ENGINEERING ECONOMICS

Abbreviated Rules: Team members will be given pencils, paper, and calculators for the competition, but that is all. No other reference materials can be used during the competition. Matches will consist of 1 round, 25 questions (5 categories of 5 questions each). Question values range from 100 to 500 points. Members get 15 seconds per question. Teams will be penalized for wrong answers. Of course, the team with the highest point total at the end of the game wins.

The following describes precisely what teams should know for the competition:

• Teams should know the definition of any italicized or bold word in the given sections.
• Teams should also know how to perform each of the tasks/skills stated below.
• Equations will not be given during the question. Hence, teams should know the equation that is necessary to perform the tasks below.
• Each task is presented here in the order that it appears in the handbook.

Areas of the competition

UNITS/CONVERSIONS:

• Know all the units listed. You do NOT need to know the conversion factors on the next page except for those involving pressures and distance measurements.

MATHEMATICS:

• Know basic differential calculus, trigonometry, conic sections, geometry, algebra, and statistics, numerical methods and differential equations. In the handbook, the only part that will not be covered are the sections on mensurations of areas and volumes along with the part on centroids. You don’t need to learn all the differentials and integrals on the tables as well; know the basic ones.

STATICS:

• Be able to determine the magnitude and direction of a force as well as express a force in vector form.
• Be able to separate a force into its components.
• Determine the moment for a given radius and force.
• Know the requirements for a system to be in equilibrium.
• Be able to use the Moment of Inertia Transfer Theorem.
• Be able to calculate the radius of gyration.
• Calculate force of friction.
• Know how to solve for the forces in a plane truss (although you will not be asked to do so).

DYNAMICS:

• Determine velocity and acceleration from a position vector.
• Determine angular velocity, tangential acceleration, angular acceleration, and normal acceleration for an object rotating about an origin at a constant radius.
• Describe straight-line motion for an object moving at constant acceleration (such as velocity, distance traveled, etc.).
• Determine horizontal distance traveled, vertical distance traveled, velocity, and acceleration for projectile motion.
• Calculate the weight on an object.
• Use Newton’s Second Law of Motion.
• Calculate the distance traveled and velocity at time(t) for an object moving in one-dimension, assuming variable acceleration.
• Calculate work.
• Calculate potential (elastic and gravitational) and kinetic energy.
• Apply the conservation of work and energy theorem.
• Calculate final velocities after an inelastic and elastic collision.
• Calculate the undamped natural frequency of a spring.

MECHANICS OF MATERIALS:

• Know how to calculate modulus of elasticity from a graph.
• Calculate engineering strain based on change in length.
• Calculate shear stress from shear strain.
• Calculate a shear modulus.
• Calculate stress during uniaxial loading.
• Calculate deformation caused by a change in temperature.
• Calculate hoop stress in a thin walled cylinder.
• Know how to construct a Mohr’s circle.

FLUID MECHANICS

• Know how to calculate specific gravity.
• Know the density of water.
• Calculate specific weight.
• Calculate surface tension.
• Use a height difference in a simple manometer to calculate pressure.
• Calculate pressure difference between two points in a column of water.
• Calculate gage pressure from atmospheric and absolute pressure.
• Use the continuity equation to find volumetric flow rate.
• Determine the velocity distribution for laminar flow in a circular pipe.
• Calculate drag force.
• Calculate Reynolds number from velocity and viscosity.
• Use the Darcy equation to calculate head loss.
• Calculate hydraulic diameter.
• Calculate head loss from a fitting.
• Use the pump power equation to calculate pump flow.
• Calculate the Mach number for a fluid.

THERMODYNAMICS

• Calculate enthalpy from internal energy.
• Calculate Gibbs Free Energy and Helmholz Free Energy.
• Calculate specific volume of a two-phase system.
• Use the ideal gas law.
• Find the mean heat capacity.
• Calculate pressure, temperature, and volume for constant temperature processes.
• Know the law of conservation of work and energy for a closed and an open thermodynamic system.
• Calculate efficiency of a heat engine and a Carnot cycle.
• Calculate coefficient of performance of a refrigeration cycle.
• Convert mole fractions to mass fractions.
• Calculate partial pressures and partial volumes.

HEAT TRANSFER

• Use Fourier’s Law of Conduction to calculate rate of heat transfer for conduction through a plane wall.
• Calculate thermal resistance of a plane wall.
• Calculate thermal resistance for a composite wall.
• Calculate thermal resistance through a cylindrical wall.
• Calculate rate of heat transfer for convection.
• Calculate rate of radiation emission for a body.
• Calculate a Graetz and Prandtl number.
• Calculate a Nusselt number for turbulent flow.

TRANSPORT PHENOMENA

• Calculate a Schmidt, Sherwood, and Stanton number.
• Use a friction factor to calculate a Schmidt, Sherwood, or Reynolds number.

CHEMISTRY

• Be able to use Avogadro’s number.
• Convert mass into moles and vice versa.
• Use the pH equation to calculate pH from concentration.
• Calculate normality, molality, or molarity.
• Calculate the equilibrium constant of a chemical reaction.
• Know how to APPLY Le Chatelier’s Principle.
• Know how to use enthalpy to determine an exothermic from an endothermic reaction.
• Calculate a solubility product constant.
• Know how to calculate boiling point elevation or freezing point depression.
• Know how to name a compound.
• Know the families of organic compounds.

MATERIALS SCIENCE

• Know the number of atoms in a BCC, FCC, and HCP.
• Know the packing numbers of BCC, FCC, and HCP.
• Know how to interpret and determine Miller indices.
• Know types of atomic bonds.
• Know possible cathode reactions.
• Calculate a diffusion coefficient.
• Know the difference between a eutetic, eutectoid, peritectic, and peritectoid reaction.
• Use the lever rule to determine the weight of each phase in a two-phase reaction.
• Use Gibbs Phase Rule.
• Calculate half-life.

ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS
1) Calculate the force that each of two point charges exerts on the other

2) Know what Gauss’s Law describes.

• Calculate the potential difference between two parallel plates.
• Calculate magnetic field strength from either current or magnetic flux density.
• Calculate force on a conductor in a uniform magnetic field.
• Know what Faraday’s Law is.
• Calculate resistivity.
• Use Ohm’s Law.
• Calculate resistance for resistors in parallel and in series.
• Calculate power in a resistive element.
• Calculate capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor.
• Calculate energy stored in a capacitor.
• Calculate energy stored in an inductor.
• Calculate capacitance/inductance for capacitors/inductors in parallel or series.
• Calculate impedance for a circuit element, resistor, and inductor.

ENGINEERING ECONOMICS

• Be able to calculate future worth from present worth and vice versa, assuming continuous compounding.