Question

Tangent cams are symmetric about __________

(a) Centre line of cam shaft

(b) Tangent line of cam shaft

(c) Radial line of cam shaft

(d) Along the roller

This question was posed to me during an interview for a job.

This intriguing question originated from Tangent Cam with Reciprocating Roller Follower topic in portion Cams of Machine Dynamics

Answer 1

Correct choice is (a) Centre line of cam shaft

Easy explanation: Tangent cams are symmetrical about the center line of the cam shaft. Not in all cases the roller is radial to the cam and has an offset, in these cases the cam is not symmetric about the roller.