Subject: Exam-Mississippi State Professional Engineer (PE)


My friend, Roger Raines, has been fortunate enough to obtain a copy of the
2001 Mississippi State Professional Engineer (PE) Exam. The exam questions are
as follows:

1) Calculate the smallest limb diameter on a peach tree that will
support a ten pound possum.

2) Which of the following cars will rust out the quickest when placed
on blocks in the yard? A) 66'
Ford Fairlane

B) 69' Chevy Chevelle

C) 64' Pontiac GTO

3) If your uncle builds a still that operates at a capacity of 20
gallons of shine per hour, how many car radiators are necessary to condense
the product?

4) A pulpwood cutter has a chain saw that operates at 2700 RPM. The
density of the pine trees in a plot to be harvested is 470 per acre. The
plot is 2.3 acres in size. The average tree diameter is 14". How many Bud
Tall-Boys will it take to cut the trees in one acre? In all the acres?

** EXTRA CREDIT** How many trips back to the convenience store to "reload"
after the first acre is cut?

5) If every old refrigerator in the state vented a charge of R-12
simultaneously, what would be the decrease in the ozone layer?

6) A front porch is constructed of 2x8 pine on 24 inch centers with a
field rock foundation.The span is 8 feet and the porch length is 16 feet.
The floor is 1 inch rough sewn pine. When it collapses, how many dogs will
be killed?

7) A man owns a house and 3.7 acres of land in a hollow with an average
slope of 15%. The man has 5 children. Can each of the children place a
mobile home on the man's yard?

8) A 2-ton pulpwood truck is overloaded and proceeding down a steep
grade on a secondary road at 45 mph. The brakes fail. Given the average
traffic loading of secondary roads, how many people will swerve to avoid the
truck before it crashes at the bottom of the mountain?

** EXTRA CREDIT** How many of the vehicles that swerved will have mufflers
and uncracked windshields?

9) A chemical plant operates a NFPA Class 1, Division 2, Type B,
Hazardous Area. The plant employs 120 people per 8 hour shift. A gas warning
is issued at the beginning of the 3rd shift. How many cartons of unfiltered
Camels will be smoked during the shift?

10) At a reduction in the gene pool variability rate of 7.5% per
generation, how long will it take a town that has been by-passed by the
interstate to breed a country-western singer?