Officer Candidate / Aptitude tests (AFOQT) Technical and Physical Sciences Syllabus

Technical and Physical Sciences syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Technical and Physical Sciences in Officer Candidate / Aptitude tests (AFOQT), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Mechanical Comprehension

   4 topics

   • Simple Machines
     • Levers, pulleys, and gears
     • Inclined planes, wedges, and screws
     • Mechanical advantage calculations
   • Forces and Motion
     • Newton's laws applied to objects
     • Friction, momentum, and equilibrium
   • Fluids and Pressure
     • Hydraulic systems
     • Buoyancy and pressure relationships
   • Work, Energy, and Power
     • Potential and kinetic energy
     • Conservation of energy in machines
2. 2

   Physics and General Science Concepts

   3 topics

   • Electricity and Magnetism
     • Voltage, current, and resistance (Ohm's law)
     • Series and parallel circuits
   • Thermodynamics and Heat
     • Conduction, convection, and radiation
   • Waves and Sound
3. 3

   Applied Quantitative Mechanics

   3 topics

   • Diagram Interpretation
     • Reading force diagrams and machine schematics
   • Estimating Mechanical Outcomes
     • Predicting motion direction and speed in gear and pulley systems
   • Unit Awareness in Mechanics

Technical and Physical Sciences flashcards for Officer Candidate / Aptitude tests (AFOQT)

20 of 50 cards from the Technical and Physical Sciences deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the six classical simple machines?

   Lever, wheel and axle, pulley, inclined plane, wedge, and screw.

2. What is mechanical advantage (MA)?

   The factor by which a machine multiplies input force: MA = output (load) force / input (effort) force.

3. For an ideal lever, how is mechanical advantage calculated from arm lengths?

   MA = length of effort arm / length of load arm (distances from the fulcrum).

4. What distinguishes a first-class, second-class, and third-class lever?

   First-class: fulcrum between effort and load (seesaw). Second-class: load between fulcrum and effort (wheelbarrow). Third-class: effort between fulcrum and load (tweezers).

5. How does an inclined plane provide mechanical advantage?

   It reduces the force needed by spreading the work over a longer distance; ideal MA = length of slope / vertical height.

6. What is the ideal mechanical advantage of a screw or wedge based on?

   It increases as the slope is made longer and shallower; for a screw, smaller thread pitch (closer threads) gives greater MA.

7. How is the mechanical advantage of a pulley system determined?

   It equals the number of rope segments that directly support the moving load.

8. What trade-off does every simple machine impose (ignoring friction)?

   Multiplying force requires moving through a greater distance; work in equals work out, so force gained costs distance.

9. What does mechanical efficiency of a machine measure?

   Efficiency = (useful work output / work input) x 100%; it is always under 100% in real machines due to friction.

10. State Newton's First Law of Motion.

    An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion at constant velocity unless acted on by a net external force (law of inertia).

11. State Newton's Second Law of Motion as a formula.

    F = ma; net force equals mass times acceleration.

12. State Newton's Third Law of Motion.

    For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction; forces between two objects are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.

13. What is the difference between mass and weight?

    Mass is the amount of matter (kg) and is constant; weight is the gravitational force on that mass, W = mg, and varies with gravity.

14. What is the acceleration due to gravity near Earth's surface?

    Approximately 9.8 m/s squared (about 32 ft/s squared).

15. What is the formula for momentum?

    p = mv; momentum equals mass times velocity.

16. What is the difference between speed and velocity?

    Speed is scalar (magnitude only); velocity is a vector (magnitude and direction).

17. What is friction and which type is generally larger, static or kinetic?

    Friction is a force opposing relative motion between surfaces; static friction (before motion) is generally larger than kinetic friction (during motion).

18. What is centripetal force?

    The net inward force that keeps an object moving in a circular path, directed toward the center of the circle.

19. What is Pascal's Principle?

    Pressure applied to a confined fluid is transmitted equally in all directions throughout the fluid (basis of hydraulic systems).

20. What is the formula relating pressure, force, and area?

    P = F / A; pressure equals force divided by area.

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