Are You Smarter than an Undergraduate? May 2026

Question 1: Which component resists changes in current flow?

Capacitor

Resistor

Inductor

Diode

Question 2: Terzaghi’s principle states that ___________.

Water carries total stress

Effective stress equals total stress

Effective stress = Total stress – Pore water pressure

Pore pressure is negligible

Question 3: The expansion valve in a refrigeration cycle ___________.

Increases refrigerant pressure

Reduces refrigerant pressure and temperature

Compresses refrigerant vapor

Rejects heat to ambient air

Question 4: The Brinell hardness test uses a(n) _________.

Diamond pyramid

Hardened steel or tungsten carbide ball

Indenter with square base

Impact hammer

Question 5: Positive displacement pumps deliver _______________.

Variable flow depending on head

Nearly constant flow regardless of head

Maximum efficiency at shutoff

Flow only in turbulent regimes

Question 6: The bending stress in a beam is given by ______________.

σ = M × A / I

σ = M × y / I

σ = V × Q / I

σ = P / A

Some bridges should never be crossed. Put your engineering judgment to the test with the world’s strangest spans.