Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

A few of you may know that I'm a leader in 4-H for the small engines project in our club.  Here's some of the questions I'm asking the 12-18 year old this year.  There are 3 girls and 2 boys this year.  Let's see how you guys/gals stack up.

1.     T or F     An engine is a machine that converts a form of energy into mechanical force.

2.     Small engines are generally rated up to _______ HP.  A) 20     B) 25     C) 30     D) neither A, B or C

3.     Approximately ______% of the energy relaesed when fuel is oxidized in a typical small engine is converted into useful work.

4.     T or F     Heat is the resource that provides the capicity to do work.

5.     T or F     A substance can be in solid, liquid or gas state.

6.     Three methods of heat transfer are ______.     A) conduction, convection and locomotion     B) conduction, radiation and locomotion     C) conduction, convection and radiation     D) neither A, B or C

7.     Horsepower is a unit of power equal to _____.     A) 746W     B) 33,000 lb-ft/min     C) neither A or B     D) either A or B

8.     T or F     Both 4 stroke and 2 stroke engines complete 4 distinctive events during each cycle.

9.     T or F     Small engines are either air-cooled or liquid-cooled.

10.     When heat is added to water, it changes to ________.

11.     T or F     Generators and snow throwers commonly use a verticla shaft, horizontal cylinder engine.

12.     The first successful gasoline engine was developed by _______.     A) Thomas Savery     B) Eugene Lebon     C) James Watt     D) Neither A, B or C

13.     T or F     Kinetic energy is energy of motion.

14.     T or F     Small engines are either spark ignited or compression ignition based on how the fuel is ignited.

15.     When heat it added to ice, it changes to ________>

16.     T or F     The size of lawn tractor engines commonly range from 11 to 18 HP.

Let's see how you do and I'll post the answers later this week.

Sherri

Damn Sherri, other than the ones about heat, water, and ice, you stumped the hell out of me. I don't know too many people though that are going to know the answers to some of those unless they read some specific books/articles.

I don't feel bad though, I just came from Sears, I wanted to return my Craftsman hose nozzle that broke. The girl at the counter was clueless, told me I would need a receipt to return anything. I protested, it is a Craftsman! Finally I said, you don't know what you are doing do you, she said no i don't! Then a young man came out of the back to offer assistance, he didn't know what I was returning, thought it was a flashlight. I finally said you two are scaring me, what are you doing working in a hardware store?!?! I think they would have thought a screwdriver is a sex toy!

Good for you Sherri working with young people. In my case, I do it through Junior Achievement. I don't think all young people are idiots, honest.

The questions come from a small engine work book put out by Briggs.  The 4-H Leader's guide is beyond the pits.  But I found that the youth aren't learning that much in school and if you can offer them some of the stuff that they are missing - they might not think that it's not worth it.  Like the, "when am I ever going to use...".  It all comes back to you in the end - I am however trying to figure out where I am going to use have the stuff I enjoyed in school in the small engine business.  (I loved writing stories and poetry - still do.  Just can't find a way to work them in).

Sherri

PS - The kids do real well with the questions.  They sit down and talk them out and come up with a group answer most of the time.  7 times outta 10 they are right.

http://biosystems.okstate.edu/Home/fharry/3211/Review%20questions/1.pdf

Good test! Looks they use it at Oklahoma State University too.

Hey Marshall,

Good find.  The Briggs book isn't exactly laid out like that, but it's close.  Do they have more of those pages?

I'll have to post some of the MST (master service technician) questions.  They baffle me, but Chris is a Master Tech, one of the few around here.  Go figure.

Sherri

MissSnowshoveler wrote: Sherri,

I wasn't even looking for the test, I was looking for the answers. LMAO

OK I'll bite. Without cheating.

1.     T      An engine is a machine that converts a form of energy into mechanical force.

2.     Small engines are generally rated up to __C_____ HP.  A) 20     B) 25     C) 30     D) neither A, B or C

3.     Approximately ___60___% of the energy relaesed when fuel is oxidized in a typical small engine is converted into useful work.

4.     T      Heat is the resource that provides the capicity to do work.

5.     T     A substance can be in solid, liquid or gas state.

6.     Three methods of heat transfer are ___C___.     A) conduction, convection and locomotion     B) conduction, radiation and locomotion     C) conduction, convection and radiation     D) neither A, B or C

7.     Horsepower is a unit of power equal to __A___.     A) 746W     B) 33,000 lb-ft/min     C) neither A or B     D) either A or B

8.      F     Both 4 stroke and 2 stroke engines complete 4 distinctive events during each cycle.

9.     T      Small engines are either air-cooled or liquid-cooled.

10.     When heat is added to water, it changes to ___Steam_____.

11.      F     Generators and snow throwers commonly use a verticla shaft, horizontal cylinder engine.

12.     The first successful gasoline engine was developed by ___C____.     A) Thomas Savery     B) Eugene Lebon     C) James Watt     D) Neither A, B or C

13.     T      Kinetic energy is energy of motion.

14.     T      Small engines are either spark ignited or compression ignition based on how the fuel is ignited.

15.     When heat it added to ice, it changes to __Water______>

16.     T     The size of lawn tractor engines commonly range from 11 to 18 HP.

Sherri, Should I take my stuff in to have the oil checked? All guesses except for a few.

Rob,

You did very well.  12 out of 16. 

2.     2) 25HP

3)     30%

7)     D) either A or B

12.)     B) Eugene Lebon

Those seem to be the ones that trip up everyone.  It's still early here or I'd post all the asnwers together - but they can just read yours and then read this one.

Congrats on being brave.

Sherri

OK, I am going to embarrass myself but here goes.

1. T

2. D

3.  80%

4.  F

5.  5

6.  C

7.  C

8.  F

9.  T

10.  Hot Water?

11.  T

12.  D

13.  T

14.  T

15.  Water

16.  T

That was fun.  Also made me realize I don't know much about this stuff lol.....

Glad I have a carreer or I would be in trouble lol.....

C 

ChrisS,

Yeah you would be in a little trouble.  8/16, 2. d  3. 30% 4.T 5.I'm not sure what the 5 is for 7.d 10. hot water is good, but it's steam, 11. F 12. B

I'll try the next test later.

Sherri

Miss SS,

Just some thing to think about on your questions.

When you have enough BTU"s you will change water to steam, otherwise just hot water!!! I hope you don't get burned  when you take a shower. Rember you have added heat to the water in your water heater, but no steam!! Question should be rewritten. Same with #15. go from a temp of 30 below to 10 below, you have added heat, but you still have ICE!

                                                              Fred       

jubol wrote:

Fred you are right about adding heat to water, but if I go from 30 below to 10 above, I'm gonna have water (Canada = celcius).

Sherri

Answers to the above questions. (according to the book I read)

1.     T

2.     B

3.     30%

4.     T

5.     T

6.     C

7.     D

8.     F

9.     T

10.     steam

11.     F

12.     B

13.     T

14.     T

15.     water

16.     T

I'll post another test later.

Sherri

na na na naa...

im a master tech and you guys are zip.

i am so gonna burn for that one...he its gettin kinda hot in here  

later chris...aka master tech

I take issue with the false answer.

Even though the rotaion is in half-there are still 4 events that happen (fuel in-compression-power-exhaust) for 2 stroke.

4 stroke=suck-squeeze-pop-poohie    

18 degrees

MissSnowshoveler wrote:

notice that no one ever goes out for Canadian food.

18Degrees wrote:

Even though there are 4 events in both only the 4 stroke utilises 1 stroke for each event.  The 2 stroke utilises 2 events for each stroke.  So there isn't a distinct intake, compression, power, exhaust in the 2 stroke as they are doubled up, intake/compression and power/exhaust.

I just confused myself, so I hope your happy.  I can see the difference in the engines, but to put into words is something else.  maybe Snowshoveler will grace me with a better worded response. 

Sherri

 Miss SS,

 Even a turbo jet engine is  a 4 cycle engine!!!

It does not even have a piston , intake or exhuast valves!!

                                                    Fred                  

congradulations 18Degrees...miss snowshoveler has officially put you in the corner with a pointy hat on your head .

you might know better than to try to reason with a woman,even if you are right. i would have thought you would have learned that from Paula,she dosent take any prisoners.

so while your here ...you a  er want a beer or what,we wont tell the MISS okay.

later chris

Mrs. Sherri---Not many could have described the two stroke and the four stroke cycle.   I think you deserve an A +  on that information.   That two stroke , especially, amazes me. My group at the Vo-tech  school would take one of the better named chain saws and lean it to run  14,000 rpm,s.   Quite a few of them will rev that high.  Then I would divide by 60 to see how many cycles per second.  It came to  233 cycles per second.  Unreal, and a good 2 stroke will just run for years if proper gas and oil mixture is used.  I guess one reason, it changes oil every two strokes.   Take care and may we hear more from you---Your friend--Will

ha ha ha    It is always frustrating when english teahers write math or tech questions=they don't understand math or tech "enuff" to use the proper words!

my $.02 worth                                                                18  degrees

MissSnowshoveler wrote: Just to pick a few nits

Typos

3. released

4. capacity

Nits

5. There is at least one other state of matter, a plasma. Physicists keep inventing others as they play their math games.

11. Most small engine generators are horizontal shafts. Most generators are run by the utility company and I suspect they are mostly vertical shaft, I'm not sure. I'm thinking in terms of "kilograms (pounds) of generator". as "most"

13. Kinetic energy is the energy in an object that is associated with its motion. A battery in a moving car has potential energy stored inside it and kinetic energy due to its being in motion. The potential energy is moving but is not due to the motion. Another way to look as it is to think of a baseball that is dropped from the top of the empire state building. It starts at rest with a lot of potential energy and no kinetic, its way up high. As it falls the potential energy is turned into kinetic, it gets lower and lower but is travelling faster and faster.

14. Small internal combustion engines normally work that way. Small steam  engines and pneumatic tools both work from an external energy supply. I also have a vague recollection of something called a Stirling Engine that used an external heat source but worked by heating and cooling a gas ( not gasoline)..

Nice set of questions, they have generated some good discussion. How did the young adults do?

18Degrees wrote:
I've seen a number of restaurants that specialize in "Canadian" food. Typically they also have Chineese as well.

nibbler wrote:

In the two power plants i have worked in- vertical shaft for Hydroelectric (smaller gen-sets than steam)

                             -horizontal for the big steam turbines.

                                                18 degrees=poor speller

MissSnowshoveller - I'm not sure but I may have offended you, if so I apologize. The intent was to continue the discussion. The spelliing corrections were because I thought you may have cut and pasted from your question sheet and would like to correct it.

While you are correct that most, maybe all, engines don't run on plasma, the question had to do with the states of matter so I thought mentioning plasma would be interesting.

I live in Ontario and was thinking mostly of the hydroelectric systems I've seen. They were vertical shaft. It seems from another post that steam and therefore probably nuclear plants, use horizontal shafts. I would guess that horizontal is preferred but vertical is best when dealing with something that is falling. That was also why I mentioned the "weight" criteria for the definition of "most". If you think in terms of numbers then small gen sets with horizontal shafts would be the norm. If you think in terms of total weight I don't know. The point was that some generators do have vertical shafts.

There was a comma just before the "a" in "as" which I think is correct grammatically.

I looked up "travelling" at dictionary.com and found that both spellings are listed. The same applies to "travelled" and "traveled". I was surprised since I though you needed the double "l" to stop the "e" from being long.

I'm glad to see they are willing to research a topic. The internet, libraries and local experts are all great resources for finding things out. The problem seems to be to get people fired up enough to actually use the wonderful resources that are available. This forum is a good example of people sharing their knowledge.

1.)T
2.)D
3.)20%??
4.)F
5.)T
6.)C
7.)A
8.)T
9.)F (air)
10.)Depending how much heat, 418.4J will boil one gram of water anything less it'll gain the energy
11.)T, or F...
12.)B seven years after, in 1801, Steeles engine was redisgned by philippe Lebon, who put the spark plug inside the cylinder (like who dont know that!!?)
13.)T (easy)
14.)T
15.)if enough, water
16.)T..ish..i think sounds right..
       
              Carl J¡

To...Ms SS....

1. Congrats to you for stimulating young minds to consider areas usually not associated with the minds of youths today.   We need more intellectual challenges for youth... these challenges flow contrary to the expected modes for youth today... and ANY direction which engages the imaginations of the younger people today is one which we should definitely pursue.

2. To some of you other guys, (unless this is some inside joke to which I am not privy) - GET A LIFE!!!  I spent 32 years working with young college minds -  and I commend any approach which tries to expand understandings in ANY area which has practical application to everyday life!!!  Nitpicking is not helpful - it's harmful.  Unfortunately, the perceived harm usually outweighs the perceived help.  I, for one, applaud what appears to be a stimulating exercise in understanding!!!

*(:>)*

   

I tend to write more than just T or F, bare with me

1. Sorta true. Sorry, I think it is poorly worded. An engine converts heat energy to mechanical energy
2. Again, wording. Small engine as in 2 or 4 stroke. I am inclined to say above 20 because there are plenty of 23 horse tractors out, but then again most are in the 5-18 range
3. 33%, but you do you consider heating your car useful, because than it goes up...
4. Heat is a resource...Kinda confusing
5. False. Solid, liquid, gas and plasma
6. C
7. B
8. False, except in the case of a two stroke diesel commonly used on locomotives.
9. Most of the time they are air cooled, though it is not unheard of to have a liquid cooling system(go karts, not only the shifters)
10. warmer water? Try this: at sea level whater heated above 212 degrees...
11. False
12. Otto.. Aright, I cheated, I knew it was none of them so i googled it.
13. False, can be heat, light, etc
14. Ending is confusing but spark ignited. Yanmar makes small diesel engines for mowers. Have fun pullstarting that.
15. Less cold ice... Try this: When ice is warmed to above 32 degrees fahrenheit at sea level it turns to...(you can get ice to sublime in a vaccum)
16. commonly, but they are getting up there.

Aren't teenagers annoying?