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Test your mechanical aptitude!


gillbot

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Uh 26 is wrong, all 3 will illuminate just the middle light will be dimmer. 48 is really a combination of the second and third answers; I figured the 2nd was more accurate. Other than those two I got a 96%

 

While I would agree with you at first, I reexamined that question again to see why the second one would NOT light up. Reason being the electricity will take the path of least resistance. For all technical reasons, if that switch is closed, then no the light won't come on at all. The bulb is just a resistor, therefore the current will travel through the closed switch without going through the "resistor".

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Most of the electricity will be going through the switch but still some would be going through the bulb (enough to be visible is a different question). Electricity does not take the path of least resistance exclusively, if so then parrallel circuits would not function as they do.
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Most of the electricity will be going through the switch but still some would be going through the bulb (enough to be visible is a different question). Electricity does not take the path of least resistance exclusively, if so then parrallel circuits would not function as they do.

 

Simplest way to test this remove all uneccesary objects from question. Get a light bulb, run the switch parallel to it, and run it directly to ground. Keep the switch open and turn on the power. What happens? The bulb turns on, there is no other path to ground.

 

 

Turn power off, close the switch and turn on power. What happens then? It's a short directly to ground (path of least resistance), the light will never under this circumstance come on, ever. Only chance would be if the parallel cable/wire directly to ground was acting as a bigger resistor than the bulb because of corrosion or loose connection etc.

 

Same principal is being applied to the circuit with the three bulbs.

 

You are correct in that the current will not exclusively travel down just one path. However, the bulb in question will not receive enough current to turn on or measure more than a few milli-amps itself.

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96% didnt figure out why it was for "the car guys" just a basic physics lesson

It wasn't "just for car guys". If you get pissed at it then you either think you are smarter than you are or you are just so smart nobody (including yourself) can measure it.

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I passed but not by a lot! 82%. No wonder some of you have less troubles working on your cars than I do.... :) I should have my dad take that- I am sure he would likely do better as he is a degreed engineer.

 

I would agree a lot of the questions require assumptions and I felt some were plain wrong but I think it is more of an instinct test rather than a physics test. It would probably be better if you would be required to answer in less than 5 seconds.

 

Thanks for posting that!

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