This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.

In this episode you will learn:

- How to apply ΣF=ma using separate Free-Body and Kinetic Diagrams.

- Solving connected body problems by isolating each mass and defining kinematic constraints.

- The correct coordinate system setup for inclined plane problems with friction.

- Using normal-tangential components for objects in curvilinear motion.

- A mnemonic to avoid mixing up forces and the resulting mass-acceleration vectors.

For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.

In this episode you will learn:

- How to select the best coordinate system (Rectangular, Normal-Tangential, or Polar) for any particle kinematics problem.

- Where to locate and apply the correct kinematics equations in the Dynamics section of the NCEES FE Reference Handbook.

- The critical difference between the radius of curvature (ρ) in the n-t system and the radial position (r) in the polar system.

- How to identify common exam traps, such as unnecessarily complex calculations in rectangular coordinates.

- A memorable mental shortcut for quickly choosing the most efficient coordinate system under exam pressure.

For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.

In this episode you will learn:

- The critical first step in any friction problem is determining the direction of impending motion.

- The static friction force F equals μ_s times the normal force N *only* at the exact moment motion is about to start.

- How to treat a wedge problem as two interacting inclined plane problems by using separate free-body diagrams.

- Why you must always convert the belt's angle of wrap (β) to radians for the belt friction formula.

- A simple mnemonic to ensure you always assign the correct direction to the friction force.

For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.

In this episode you will learn:

- How to calculate the centroid of composite shapes using the NCEES Reference Handbook.

- The correct application of the parallel-axis theorem, focusing on the critical 'd' term.

- The key distinction between area moment of inertia (for statics and bending) and mass moment of inertia (for dynamics).

- How to calculate the radius of gyration and understand its physical significance.

- Common exam traps like mixing reference axes and confusing area properties with mass properties.

For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.

In this episode you will learn:

- To find internal pin forces, you must disassemble the structure and create a separate free-body diagram for each member.

- Internal forces at a shared pin are an action-reaction pair; they are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction on the connecting members.

- The first step is often to analyze the entire structure as a single rigid body to find the external support reactions.

- Quickly identifying two-force members is a critical time-saving shortcut, as the force direction is already known.

- The three equilibrium equations (sum of forces in X and Y, and sum of moments) are applied to each individual free-body diagram to solve for unknowns.

For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.

In this episode you will learn:

- How to quickly identify zero-force members to simplify any truss problem.

- When to apply the Method of Joints for solving forces in most members of a truss.

- Why the Method of Sections is a faster shortcut for finding the force in a single, specific internal member.

- The correct sign convention for tension (positive) and compression (negative) and how to start every problem by assuming tension.

- How the FE exam tests your ability to choose the most time-efficient solution path between the two methods.

For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.

In this episode you will learn:

- How to apply the three core equilibrium equations (ΣFx=0, ΣFy=0, ΣM=0) to solve 2D rigid body problems.

- The key differences between pin, roller, and fixed supports and their corresponding reaction forces and moments.

- A strategic method for selecting the optimal point to sum moments, simplifying your calculations and saving time.

- How to correctly replace distributed loads with a single equivalent point force for both uniform and triangular loads.

- Common exam traps, including sign convention errors and misplacing the centroid of triangular loads.

For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.

In this episode you will learn:

- The critical first step in any statics problem is to correctly isolate a body and draw its Free Body Diagram (FBD).

- How to identify and draw all external forces and moments, including applied loads and support reactions, on an FBD.

- The proper application of the three equations of equilibrium (ΣFx=0, ΣFy=0, ΣM=0) to solve for unknowns.

- Common FE exam traps, such as incomplete FBDs, confusing internal with external forces, and inconsistent sign conventions.

- A simple mnemonic, "I. E. S." (Isolate, Externalize, Solve), to structure your problem-solving approach.

For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.

In this episode you will learn:

- The fundamental difference in power flow between motors (electrical in, mechanical out) and generators (mechanical in, electrical out).

- How to apply the core power equations for electrical power (P = V*I) and mechanical power (P = T*ω).

- The critical importance of converting rotational speed from RPM to radians per second before calculating mechanical power.

- How to correctly use the efficiency formula (η = P_out / P_in) for both motor and generator exam problems.

- A simple mnemonic ('My Electricity Makes Motion') to avoid confusing motors and generators and their energy conversion direction.

For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep

This podcast is made by Ran Chen, who holds an EA license, Insurance and Securities licenses (Series 6, 63, 65), and the CFP® designation. He is passionate about opening access to high-quality exam preparation resources and helping learners prepare more effectively for professional certification exams.

In this episode you will learn:

- How to determine if an AC circuit is inductive or capacitive based on the sign of the impedance's imaginary component.

- The crucial difference between real (P), reactive (Q), and apparent (S) power and their respective units (W, VAR, VA).

- How to apply the mnemonic "ELI the ICE man" to quickly recall voltage and current phase relationships for inductors and capacitors.

- To identify the common exam trap of confusing peak voltage/current values with the RMS values required for power calculations.

- How to calculate the power factor using the phase angle difference between voltage and current phasors.

For more free exam prep tools, practice questions, and AI-powered explanations, visit https://open-exam-prep.com/ or YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Open-exam-prep