Aptitude Test Tuesday – Gears
Every Tuesday I post a common question you might encounter during your aptitude test. This week we will be covering a gear example.
For more questions, have a look at the Firefighter Practice Tests – Premium Pack. They offer over 99 practice tests and over 1500 questions.
The Problem:
If the configuration in this figure is released from rest, the drum will:
- Rotate Counter Clockwise
- Stay at rest
- Rotate Clockwise
- Cannot Be Determined

The Solution:
The torque resultant for the two weights is:
12 x 150 clockwise = 1800
5 x 250 counter clockwise = 1250, so the gear will rotate clockwise as a result of larger torque.