AMT: General Oral & Practical Exam Study Set Questions
Solved Correctly to Pass
What constitutes a capacitor? - Answer Two conductors separated by an insulator.
What is the purpose of a capacitor? - Answer It stores electrical energy in electrostatic fields.
Does a capacitor in an AC circuit cause the current to lead or lag the voltage? - Answer It causes the
current to lead the voltage.
What is the basic unit of capacitance? - Answer The ferad.
Why should electrolytic capacitors not be used in an AC circuit? - Answer They are polarized. An
electrolytic capacitor will pass current of one polarity, but will block current of the opposite polarity.
What is meant by inductance? - Answer The ability to store electrical energy in electromagnetic fields.
What is the basic unit of inductance? - Answer The henry.
What is an example of an inductor used in a magneto? - Answer The coil.
Does an inductor in an AC circuit cause the current to lead or lag the voltage? - Answer It causes the
current to lag behind the voltage.
How can you find the polarity of an electromagnet? - Answer Hold the electromagnet in your left hand
with your fingers encircling the coil in the direction electrons flow (from negative to positive). Your
thumb will point to the north pole of the electromagnet.
What is meant by impedance? - Answer The total opposition to the flow of alternating current. It is the
vector sum of resistance capacitive reactance, and inductive reactance.
,In what units is impedance measured? - Answer In ohms.
What are five sources of electrical energy? - Answer Magnetism, chemical energy, light, heat, and
pressure.
What is the basic unit of power in a DC circuit? - Answer The watt.
What is meant by a kilowatt? - Answer 1,000 watts.
What is meant by a megawatt? - Answer 1,000,000 watts.
What is the formula for power in a DC circuit? - Answer Power = Voltage times current (P = E x I)
What is the relationship between mechanical and electrical power? - Answer 1 horsepower = 746 watts
What is meant by true power in an AC circuit? - Answer The product of the circuit voltage and the
current that is in phase with this voltage.
In what units is true power expressed? - Answer In watts.
What is meant by apparent power in an AC circuit? - Answer The product of the circuit voltage and the
circuit current.
In what units is apparent power expressed? - Answer In volt-amps.
What is meant by the reactive power in an AC circuit? - Answer The power consumed in the inductive
and capacitive reactances in an AC circuit. Reactive power is also called wattless power.
In what units is reactive power expressed? - Answer In volt-amps reactive (VAR), or kilovolt-amps
reactive (KVAR).
,What is meant by power factor in an AC circuit? - Answer The ratio of true power to apparent power. It
is also the ratio of circuit resistance to circuit impedance.
Which law of electricity is the most important for an aircraft mechanic to know? - Answer Ohm's law.
What are the elements of Ohm's law? - Answer Voltage E, current I, and resistance R (volts, amps, and
ohms).
What is voltage? - Answer Electrical pressure.
What is the basic unit of voltage? - Answer The volt.
What instrument is used to measure voltage? - Answer A voltmeter.
To measure voltage, is a voltmeter placed in series or in parallel with the source of voltage? - Answer In
parallel.
What is electrical current? - Answer The flow of electrons in a circuit.
What is the basic unit of current flow? - Answer The ampere (amp).
What part of an amp is a milliamp? - Answer One thousandth (0.001) of an amp.
What instrument is used to measure current flow? - Answer An ammeter.
What two things happen when current flows through a conductor? - Answer Head is generated and a
magnetic field surrounds the conductor.
, To measure current through a component, is an ammeter placed in parallel or in series with the
component? - Answer In series.
What is meant by resistance in an electrical circuit? - Answer The opposition to the flow of electrons.
What is the basic unit of electrical resistance? - Answer The ohm.
What is a megohm? - Answer One million (1,000,000) ohms.
What four things affect the resistance of an electrical conductor? - Answer The material, the cross-
sectional area, the length, and the temperature.
What instrument is used to measure electrical resistance? - Answer An ohmmeter.
How can you tell the resistance of a composition resistor? - Answer By a series of colored bands around
one end of the resistor.
What is meant by continuity in an electrical circuit? - Answer The circuit is continuous (or complete)
when electrons can flow from one terminal of the power source to the other.
What instrument is used to measure continuity in an electrical circuit? - Answer An ohmmeter.
When measuring resistance of a component with an ohmmeter, should the circuit be energized? -
Answer No, there should be no power on the circuit.
What three things must an electric circuit contain? - Answer A source of electrical energy, a load to use
the energy, and conductors to join the source and the load.
What are three types of DC circuits with regard to the placement of various circuit components? -
Answer Series, parallel, and series-parallel.
Solved Correctly to Pass
What constitutes a capacitor? - Answer Two conductors separated by an insulator.
What is the purpose of a capacitor? - Answer It stores electrical energy in electrostatic fields.
Does a capacitor in an AC circuit cause the current to lead or lag the voltage? - Answer It causes the
current to lead the voltage.
What is the basic unit of capacitance? - Answer The ferad.
Why should electrolytic capacitors not be used in an AC circuit? - Answer They are polarized. An
electrolytic capacitor will pass current of one polarity, but will block current of the opposite polarity.
What is meant by inductance? - Answer The ability to store electrical energy in electromagnetic fields.
What is the basic unit of inductance? - Answer The henry.
What is an example of an inductor used in a magneto? - Answer The coil.
Does an inductor in an AC circuit cause the current to lead or lag the voltage? - Answer It causes the
current to lag behind the voltage.
How can you find the polarity of an electromagnet? - Answer Hold the electromagnet in your left hand
with your fingers encircling the coil in the direction electrons flow (from negative to positive). Your
thumb will point to the north pole of the electromagnet.
What is meant by impedance? - Answer The total opposition to the flow of alternating current. It is the
vector sum of resistance capacitive reactance, and inductive reactance.
,In what units is impedance measured? - Answer In ohms.
What are five sources of electrical energy? - Answer Magnetism, chemical energy, light, heat, and
pressure.
What is the basic unit of power in a DC circuit? - Answer The watt.
What is meant by a kilowatt? - Answer 1,000 watts.
What is meant by a megawatt? - Answer 1,000,000 watts.
What is the formula for power in a DC circuit? - Answer Power = Voltage times current (P = E x I)
What is the relationship between mechanical and electrical power? - Answer 1 horsepower = 746 watts
What is meant by true power in an AC circuit? - Answer The product of the circuit voltage and the
current that is in phase with this voltage.
In what units is true power expressed? - Answer In watts.
What is meant by apparent power in an AC circuit? - Answer The product of the circuit voltage and the
circuit current.
In what units is apparent power expressed? - Answer In volt-amps.
What is meant by the reactive power in an AC circuit? - Answer The power consumed in the inductive
and capacitive reactances in an AC circuit. Reactive power is also called wattless power.
In what units is reactive power expressed? - Answer In volt-amps reactive (VAR), or kilovolt-amps
reactive (KVAR).
,What is meant by power factor in an AC circuit? - Answer The ratio of true power to apparent power. It
is also the ratio of circuit resistance to circuit impedance.
Which law of electricity is the most important for an aircraft mechanic to know? - Answer Ohm's law.
What are the elements of Ohm's law? - Answer Voltage E, current I, and resistance R (volts, amps, and
ohms).
What is voltage? - Answer Electrical pressure.
What is the basic unit of voltage? - Answer The volt.
What instrument is used to measure voltage? - Answer A voltmeter.
To measure voltage, is a voltmeter placed in series or in parallel with the source of voltage? - Answer In
parallel.
What is electrical current? - Answer The flow of electrons in a circuit.
What is the basic unit of current flow? - Answer The ampere (amp).
What part of an amp is a milliamp? - Answer One thousandth (0.001) of an amp.
What instrument is used to measure current flow? - Answer An ammeter.
What two things happen when current flows through a conductor? - Answer Head is generated and a
magnetic field surrounds the conductor.
, To measure current through a component, is an ammeter placed in parallel or in series with the
component? - Answer In series.
What is meant by resistance in an electrical circuit? - Answer The opposition to the flow of electrons.
What is the basic unit of electrical resistance? - Answer The ohm.
What is a megohm? - Answer One million (1,000,000) ohms.
What four things affect the resistance of an electrical conductor? - Answer The material, the cross-
sectional area, the length, and the temperature.
What instrument is used to measure electrical resistance? - Answer An ohmmeter.
How can you tell the resistance of a composition resistor? - Answer By a series of colored bands around
one end of the resistor.
What is meant by continuity in an electrical circuit? - Answer The circuit is continuous (or complete)
when electrons can flow from one terminal of the power source to the other.
What instrument is used to measure continuity in an electrical circuit? - Answer An ohmmeter.
When measuring resistance of a component with an ohmmeter, should the circuit be energized? -
Answer No, there should be no power on the circuit.
What three things must an electric circuit contain? - Answer A source of electrical energy, a load to use
the energy, and conductors to join the source and the load.
What are three types of DC circuits with regard to the placement of various circuit components? -
Answer Series, parallel, and series-parallel.
