Question

The motion of a piston in the cylinder of a steam engine is an example of

(a) completely constrained motion

(b) incompletely constrained motion

(c) successfully constrained motion

(d) none of the mentioned

I got this question in an international level competition.

The above asked question is from Simple Mechanisms topic in chapter Simple Mechanisms of Machine Kinematics

Answer 1

Right option is (a) completely constrained motion

Explanation: The piston and cylinder in a steam engine form a pair and the motion of the piston is limited to a definite direction (i.e. it will only reciprocate) relative to the cylinder irrespective of the direction of motion of the crank.