RECF FUNDAMENTALS STUDY GUIDE EXAM 2026/2027
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔What is softwood used for? - ✔✔The primary type of wood used in building's
structural frames due to its low cost
✔✔What is hardwood? - ✔✔A generic term for wood from broad-leaved (mostly
deciduous and fruit-bearing) trees; typically more expensive, slower growing, more
dense (though not always), and stronger
✔✔Is ash a softwood or hardwood? - ✔✔Hardwood
✔✔Is poplar a softwood or hardwood? - ✔✔Hardwood
✔✔Is maple a softwood or hardwood? - ✔✔Hardwood
✔✔What is hardwood used for? - ✔✔Typically used in furniture, flooring, and utensils
✔✔What are wood veneers? - ✔✔Thin layer of decorative wood glued on to a cheaper
base wood, done to reduce cost and save money (made from hardwood)
✔✔What is dimensional lumber? - ✔✔Softwood cut into 2x4, 4x4, 2x6, or 2x12 shapes;
used for home construction due to low cost and straight grain
✔✔What are plastics made from? - ✔✔Polymers, which are made from hydrocarbons,
which is made from oil
✔✔What are some traits of plastic? - ✔✔Lightweight, durable, strong, non-conductive
✔✔What is thermoset plastic? - ✔✔Plastic that becomes solid and retains its shape
after it is heated above its cure point; usually non recyclable and often referred to as
glue (epoxy, melamine, fiberglass)
✔✔What is thermoplastic? - ✔✔Plastic that becomes solid and retains its shape after it
cools below its melting point; recyclable, contains all plastics used in 3D printing (nylon,
acrylic, polypropylene, etc)
✔✔What is the SPI resin identification coding system? - ✔✔A set of symbols placed on
plastics to identify the polymer/resin type; determines if and how it can be recycled
✔✔Who is Alan Sheppard? - ✔✔The first American in space; part of program Mercury
in 1961
, ✔✔Who is John Glenn? - ✔✔The first American to orbit; part of program Mercury with
the Atlas rocket booster system, 1962
✔✔Who is Neil Armstrong? - ✔✔The first American on the moon, part of program
Apollo, in the Apollo II capsule, 1969
✔✔What is a space shuttle used for? - ✔✔Primarily, to "shuttle" astronauts and
satellites into low earth orbit or to the ISS space station
✔✔Who is Yuri Gagarin? - ✔✔The first man in space, aboard the Vostok which was the
first manned space craft, in 1961
✔✔What is special about the Saturn rocket system? - ✔✔It is the largest one ever built
✔✔How many manned missions to the moon have there been? - ✔✔A total of 6
✔✔Which Apollo mission was the last on the moon? - ✔✔Apollo 17, which landed on
December 7th of 1972
✔✔What was the first private company to put a human in space? - ✔✔Virgin Airways
(Mojave Aerospace Ventures) onboard the SPACE SHIP ONE
✔✔What is Bernoulli's Principle? - ✔✔A slow moving fluid exerts more pressure than a
fast moving fluid
✔✔What is Aspect Ratio? - ✔✔The aspect ratio of a wing is the length of the wing (side
to side) divided by the width of the wing (front to back) (*LENGTH/WIDTH*)
✔✔In an aircraft, what is thrust? - ✔✔Acceleration
✔✔In an aircraft, what is drag? - ✔✔Slowing
✔✔In an aircraft, what is lift? - ✔✔Climbing upwards
✔✔In an aircraft, what is weight? - ✔✔The losing of altitude
✔✔If lift is greater than weight, the aircraft? - ✔✔Is climbing upwards
✔✔If weight is greater than lift, the aircraft? - ✔✔Is losing altitude
✔✔If weight equals lift, the aircraft? - ✔✔Has a constant altitude
✔✔If thrust is greater than drag, the aircraft? - ✔✔Is accelerating forwards
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔What is softwood used for? - ✔✔The primary type of wood used in building's
structural frames due to its low cost
✔✔What is hardwood? - ✔✔A generic term for wood from broad-leaved (mostly
deciduous and fruit-bearing) trees; typically more expensive, slower growing, more
dense (though not always), and stronger
✔✔Is ash a softwood or hardwood? - ✔✔Hardwood
✔✔Is poplar a softwood or hardwood? - ✔✔Hardwood
✔✔Is maple a softwood or hardwood? - ✔✔Hardwood
✔✔What is hardwood used for? - ✔✔Typically used in furniture, flooring, and utensils
✔✔What are wood veneers? - ✔✔Thin layer of decorative wood glued on to a cheaper
base wood, done to reduce cost and save money (made from hardwood)
✔✔What is dimensional lumber? - ✔✔Softwood cut into 2x4, 4x4, 2x6, or 2x12 shapes;
used for home construction due to low cost and straight grain
✔✔What are plastics made from? - ✔✔Polymers, which are made from hydrocarbons,
which is made from oil
✔✔What are some traits of plastic? - ✔✔Lightweight, durable, strong, non-conductive
✔✔What is thermoset plastic? - ✔✔Plastic that becomes solid and retains its shape
after it is heated above its cure point; usually non recyclable and often referred to as
glue (epoxy, melamine, fiberglass)
✔✔What is thermoplastic? - ✔✔Plastic that becomes solid and retains its shape after it
cools below its melting point; recyclable, contains all plastics used in 3D printing (nylon,
acrylic, polypropylene, etc)
✔✔What is the SPI resin identification coding system? - ✔✔A set of symbols placed on
plastics to identify the polymer/resin type; determines if and how it can be recycled
✔✔Who is Alan Sheppard? - ✔✔The first American in space; part of program Mercury
in 1961
, ✔✔Who is John Glenn? - ✔✔The first American to orbit; part of program Mercury with
the Atlas rocket booster system, 1962
✔✔Who is Neil Armstrong? - ✔✔The first American on the moon, part of program
Apollo, in the Apollo II capsule, 1969
✔✔What is a space shuttle used for? - ✔✔Primarily, to "shuttle" astronauts and
satellites into low earth orbit or to the ISS space station
✔✔Who is Yuri Gagarin? - ✔✔The first man in space, aboard the Vostok which was the
first manned space craft, in 1961
✔✔What is special about the Saturn rocket system? - ✔✔It is the largest one ever built
✔✔How many manned missions to the moon have there been? - ✔✔A total of 6
✔✔Which Apollo mission was the last on the moon? - ✔✔Apollo 17, which landed on
December 7th of 1972
✔✔What was the first private company to put a human in space? - ✔✔Virgin Airways
(Mojave Aerospace Ventures) onboard the SPACE SHIP ONE
✔✔What is Bernoulli's Principle? - ✔✔A slow moving fluid exerts more pressure than a
fast moving fluid
✔✔What is Aspect Ratio? - ✔✔The aspect ratio of a wing is the length of the wing (side
to side) divided by the width of the wing (front to back) (*LENGTH/WIDTH*)
✔✔In an aircraft, what is thrust? - ✔✔Acceleration
✔✔In an aircraft, what is drag? - ✔✔Slowing
✔✔In an aircraft, what is lift? - ✔✔Climbing upwards
✔✔In an aircraft, what is weight? - ✔✔The losing of altitude
✔✔If lift is greater than weight, the aircraft? - ✔✔Is climbing upwards
✔✔If weight is greater than lift, the aircraft? - ✔✔Is losing altitude
✔✔If weight equals lift, the aircraft? - ✔✔Has a constant altitude
✔✔If thrust is greater than drag, the aircraft? - ✔✔Is accelerating forwards
