The Coffee Break Quiz - A challenging selection of General Engineering questions and answers 
sometimes you just don't know what you don't know, but you're sure that you did know or that you should know and when you see the answers you know that once upon a time you probably did know !

  1. Papier-mâché or paper mache is French for Mashed Fibre - True or False
  2. Italian mathematician and physicist Gerolamo Cardano gave his name to the Cardan Suspension mechanism which is better known as a Gimbal - True or False
  3. Sea water is heavier than fresh water - True or False
  4. On November 24 a 3D printer was used to manufacture an object in an unusual environment - a) in space  b) deep under water  c) in a deep mineshaft d) in an inactive volcano
  5. Researchers have discovered that a form of carbon graphene enables positively charged hydrogen atoms or protons to pass through it despite graphene being completely impermeable to all other gases, including hydrogen.  This has the potential to dramatically increase the efficiency of - a)  Nuclear Reactors  b) Hydrogen Fuel Cells  c) Carbon Capture and Sequestration d) Solar Energy Production
  6. NASA’s launch clock, located at Kennedy Space Center, has been retired after how many years of operation - a) 35  b) 40  c) 45  d) 50
  7. The word Robot is derived from the Slavic word Robota which means labor - True or False
  8. What oxide has the chemical formula Si02
  9. Honing is the name of an abrasive machining  process that produces a precision surface  on a metal  workpiece by scrubbing an abrasive  stone against it along a controlled path - True or False
  10. A Peristaltic is the name given to a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof , terrace , balcony  or other structure , primarily used to prevent the spread of fire.  It was originally designed to defend buildings from military attack - True or False


Challenge your colleagues - can they answer more than you ?

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ANSWERS

1) False - It is French for Chewed Paper  2) True  3) True - typically 1 cu ft of fresh water = 62.4 lb (28.30416 kg) : 1 cu ft of sea water = 64 lb (29.0299 kg)  4)  a) In space - on board the International Space Station  5) b) Hydrogen Fuel Cells  6) c) 45 - The clock has been used since November 1969, when it was used during the launch of the Apollo 12  7) True  8) Silicon Dioxide
  9) True  10) False - A Parapet is the correct name for this structure