16Hit1600
Problem-Solving and Data AnalysisHardTurns of a driven gear

Problem-Solving and Data Analysis practice question

A gear with 12 teeth turns 5 full times, driving a second gear with 20 teeth. How many full turns does the second gear make?

Answer: 3

The teeth passing the contact point must match: 12 × 5 = 60 teeth. The 20-tooth gear turns 60/20 = 3 times.

Common wrong answers

If you answered 5
5 is the first gear's turns; the second gear is larger, so it turns less.
If you answered 8.33
8.33 is 5 × 20/12, scaling the wrong way; the larger gear turns FEWER times.
If you answered 1.67
1.67 is 20/12, the tooth ratio, not the number of turns.

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