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 resolve 2D forces into Rx and Ry components to find the resultant magnitude and direction.

- The critical exam trap of determining the correct quadrant for the resultant angle based on the signs of the force components.

- The extension of resultant calculations to 3D systems by including the z-component for both force and direction.

- The key difference between concurrent systems (only a resultant force) and non-concurrent systems (a resultant force and a resultant moment).

- That a couple creates a pure moment with zero resultant force, allowing its effect to be applied anywhere on a body.

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 principle of conservation of momentum (m1v1 + m2v2 = m1v1' + m2v2') to solve collision problems.

- The correct formula for the coefficient of restitution, e = (v2' − v1') / (v1 − v2), and its application.

- The key differences between elastic (e=1), inelastic (e<1), and perfectly plastic (e=0) collisions.

- Common FE exam traps including sign conventions for velocity vectors and the specific subscript order in the restitution formula.

- A mnemonic ('2 minus 1 over 1 minus 2') to correctly remember the structure of the coefficient of restitution equation.

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 Work-Energy Theorem states that the net work performed on an object is equal to its change in kinetic energy (W_net = ΔKE).

- How to apply the full conservation of energy equation, including non-conservative forces like friction (KE₁ + PE₁ + W_other = KE₂ + PE₂).

- Why defining a consistent zero-potential energy reference point, or datum, is a critical first step in solving energy problems.

- That the work done by friction is always a negative value, as it removes energy from the system, and is calculated as W_friction = -μ_k * N * d.

- On an inclined plane, the normal force (N) is a component of the object's weight, calculated as N = mgcos(θ), which is crucial for finding 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 break down projectile motion problems into independent horizontal and vertical components.

- The critical mistake of using the standard range formula for uneven ground and how to correctly solve for time of flight.

- To apply the three fundamental constant acceleration equations found in the NCEES FE Reference Handbook.

- How to identify common exam traps, such as incorrectly calculating total flight time or misusing sign conventions for acceleration.

- The definition and application of the relative velocity equation for solving kinematics problems involving multiple moving objects.

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:

- That mastering the Free Body Diagram (FBD) is the most critical first step for solving FE statics and dynamics problems; it requires isolating the body and drawing all external forces.

- How Newton's First Law (ΣF = 0) provides the basis for the three equilibrium equations (ΣFx = 0, ΣFy = 0, ΣM = 0) used to solve all 2D statics problems.

- To apply Newton's Second Law (ΣF = ma) for dynamics problems where the net forces cause acceleration, using the FBD as the starting point.

- How to avoid common exam traps by correctly identifying support reactions: a roller has one force, a pin has two forces, and a fixed support has two forces and a moment.

- A simple mnemonic for FBDs: I-A-R-E (Isolate, Applied Loads/Reactions, Axes, Equilibrium equations) to ensure a systematic 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 rule of thumb for matching significant figures to input data on the FE Exam.

- How to use order-of-magnitude estimates to perform a sanity check and catch decimal errors.

- The importance of meticulous unit cancellation to validate your equation setup.

- How to spot common exam traps involving numerical precision and mixed unit systems.

- A memorable mnemonic, U-S-E (Units, Significant Figures, Estimate), to verify your answers before finalizing.

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 difference between pound-mass (lbm) for mass and pound-force (lbf) for force.

- Why and when to use the gravitational conversion factor, gc, which is 32.174 lbm·ft/(lbf·s²).

- How to correctly apply Newton's Second Law (F=ma) and energy equations (KE, PE) in US Customary units.

- The common exam trap involving weight calculations where local gravity (g) is not equal to standard gravity.

- Where to find gc in the NCEES FE Reference Handbook and how to spot questions requiring it.

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 difference between mean and median and why the FE exam tests this with skewed data.

- How to identify whether to use the sample (n-1) or population (N) formula for variance, a common exam trap.

- The distinction between standard deviation and variance and why units matter on the exam.

- The decision criteria for using a z-statistic versus a t-statistic when calculating confidence intervals.

- How to quickly find and apply the correct values, like the z-value of 1.96 for a 95% confidence interval, using the NCEES Reference Handbook.

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 differentiate between Binomial, Normal, and Poisson distribution problems on the FE exam.

- The correct application of the Binomial formula for scenarios with a fixed number of success/failure trials.

- How to use the z-score and the NCEES FE Reference Handbook's z-table to solve Normal distribution questions.

- The method for solving Poisson distribution problems involving event rates over a specific interval.

- How to identify common exam traps, such as questions with "at least/at most" phrasing and problems with mismatched rate intervals.

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 magnitude of a 3D vector using its i, j, and k components.

- The definition of a unit vector and how to compute it by dividing a vector by its magnitude.

- The direct relationship between a unit vector's components and the direction cosines (cosα, cosβ, cosγ).

- The essential identity that the sum of the squares of the direction cosines equals one.

- Common FE exam traps, such as sign errors, and confusing direction angles with direction cosines.

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