Question 3 of 9: Identify and sketch the missing (top) view

Question 3: Identify and sketch the missing (top) view

Question text not reproduced: the examination questions are © Engineers and Geoscientists BC. Open the official past paper (linked at the top of this page) to read the question, then follow the worked solution below.

The front view is a plain rectangle with a small rectangular pad projecting above its top edge (centred); the right-side view is a right triangle whose vertical front edge is full height and whose hypotenuse ramps down to zero at the back, with one hidden vertical line part way along it. Only two of the three principal views are given, so by elimination the missing view is the TOP VIEW — it is the one view that shows both the plan outline (length × depth) and the ramp’s starting edge, neither of which the other two views fix on their own.

Approach. The object is a rectangular-footprint wedge whose top surface ramps linearly from full height at the front to zero at the back (the side-view triangle), carrying a small rectangular pad on its front face; the pad’s far edge is hidden under the ramp surface, which is exactly the hidden line seen in the side view.

1. Transfer width from the front view directly down (vertical projectors) to fix the top view’s left/right edges and the pad’s width.
2. Transfer depth from the side view using a 45° miter line (or dividers): each depth coordinate on the side view swings around to become a depth coordinate on the top view.
3. Draw the top view. A single rectangle (the plan footprint), with the pad shown as a solid-line rectangle at the front edge and a hidden line marking where the pad’s rear edge disappears under the ramp.