AON Mechanical and Spatial Reasoning 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A ball is thrown horizontally from a cliff. Ignoring air resistance, what happens to its horizontal speed as it falls?
- It increases due to gravity.
- It decreases due to air resistance.
- It remains constant. (Correct answer)
- It first increases then decreases.
Correct answer: It remains constant.
Gravity acts only vertically; without air resistance, horizontal velocity remains constant throughout the fall.
Question 2: Which shape has the most structural strength when used as a construction element?
- Square
- Circle
- Triangle (Correct answer)
- Rectangle
Correct answer: Triangle
Triangles distribute load evenly and cannot deform without changing side lengths, making them the strongest structural shape.
Question 3: Two pulleys are connected by a belt. Pulley A has a diameter of 10 cm and rotates at 100 RPM. Pulley B has a diameter of 5 cm. How fast does Pulley B rotate?
- 50 RPM
- 100 RPM
- 150 RPM
- 200 RPM (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 200 RPM
Belt speed is constant; RPM ratio is inversely proportional to diameter: 100 × (10/5) = 200 RPM.
Question 4: A cube is painted red on all sides and then cut into 27 equal smaller cubes. How many small cubes have exactly 2 red faces?
- 8
- 12 (Correct answer)
- 6
- 1
Correct answer: 12
Edge cubes (not corner, not face center) have exactly 2 painted faces; a 3×3×3 cube has 12 edge positions.
Question 5: A ramp reduces the force needed to lift an object. If a 300-lb object is lifted using a 6-foot ramp to raise it 2 feet, what is the mechanical advantage?
- 2
- 3 (Correct answer)
- 4
- 6
Correct answer: 3
Mechanical advantage of a ramp = ramp length ÷ height = 6 ÷ 2 = 3.
Question 6: If you fold a square piece of paper in half twice and then punch a hole through all layers, how many holes appear when unfolded?
- 2
- 3
- 4 (Correct answer)
- 8
Correct answer: 4
Each fold doubles the layers; two folds create 4 layers, so one hole punch creates 4 holes when unfolded.
AON Mechanical and Spatial Reasoning 2
A ball is thrown horizontally from a cliff.
Ignoring air resistance, what happens to its horizontal speed as it falls?